Books in Past in Pictures series

Find out how society's treatment of people who break the law was transformed in Victorian times with the introduction of an organised police force. How has this affected criminal activity? Have the punishments given changed over the years? Starting in 1812, this book takes a look at how prisons, and the treatment of prisoners, have changed over the past 200 years.The Past in Pictures series gives a fascinating look at life in Britain through the photographs of The National Archives. It looks at past eras; at the way rich and poor families lived, the concept of holidays and leisure time for families and how the role of men, women and children from Victorian times, through two world wars, to modern Britain, have changed.

This book covers a wide range of historical and social issues within the Victorian period. This includes the Royal Family, inventions, the seaside, hospitals and health, clothes, and crime and punishment. Readers are also introduced to the major personalities of the day including Queen Victoria, Brunel, Gladstone and Disraeli, and Florence Nightingale. A wide range of visual sources of information are used such as artifacts, contemporary illustrations, photographs, and posters to really bring the subject to life.