Child Labor in the British Victorian Entertainment Industry

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiv

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Dyan Colclough

   Pages 1-13

3. Raw Material, Labor, and the Finished Product: The Theatrical Child as Employee

   • Dyan Colclough

   Pages 15-42

4. Laboring Fairies: The Theatrical Child as a Family Resource and a Resourceful Child

   • Dyan Colclough

   Pages 43-74

5. The Performing Child and Its Audience

   • Dyan Colclough

   Pages 75-97

6. Performing Their Duty: Child Savers and the Theatrical Child

   • Dyan Colclough

   Pages 99-137

7. Protective Legislation and the Theatrical Child

   • Dyan Colclough

   Pages 139-164

8. Conclusion

   • Dyan Colclough

   Pages 165-171

9. Back Matter

   Pages 173-227

   PDF

Child labor greatly contributed to the cultural and economic success of the British Victorian theatrical industry. This book highlights the complexities of the battle for child labor laws, the arguments for the needs of the theatre industry, and the weight of opposition that confronted any attempt to control employers.   

• Victorian Theatre
• Victorian Entertainment
• Child Entertainers
• Child Labor
• theatre management
• shadow workforce
• industry
• theatre
• Victorian era

“Child Labor in the British Victorian Entertainment Industry, 1875-1914 provides new insights into the interplay of large social, political, and economic factors with the particularized experience of stage children. It should be read by anyone interested in the history of British childhood, the Victorian era, the economics of theater, and the child-performer industry.” (Shauna Vey, The Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth, Vol. 10 (1), 2017) 

"Dyan Colclough has produced a major study which breaks new ground in turning attention to the involvement of children and young people in the British theatre industry. It raises critical questions about their role as wage-earners and makes impressive use of little-known primary evidence to bring their everyday experiences to life. This refreshingly original work is written with clarity and authority. Anyone interested in the history of children in the modern era should read it." - Melanie Tebbutt, Head of Humanities Research Centre, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK   

Dyan Colclough is Associate Lecturer in the Department of History, Politics, and Philosophy at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK.   

Policies and ethics