The orphan in the Victorian era

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Following the Industrial Revolution in the mid-nineteenth century, the working population of cities, and London in particular, increased enormously, leading to overcrowding and poverty. Disease and early death were common. As a result, thousands of children were left without parents. Orphanages funded by rich philanthropists existed, but the uncomfortable truth is that conditions varied, and children who could not find a place had to live in a workhouse or on the streets. The orphan is a popular figure in Victorian literature, but few formal institutional records or first-hand accounts survive.