A portrait of George Barless, a builder living in Lawrence Street in Partick, and his numerous family, c 1890s.
Large families were common in the Victorian period, but infant mortality was much higher than today and in the early 1890s nearly 15 per cent of infants born in the city died before reaching their first birthdays. In the poorest areas of Glasgow, with the most overcrowded housing conditions, one in five infants died within twelve months. Even children in well-to-do families often fell victim to childhood diseases and epidemics.
Reference: PP.1978.101.17 / SP.2000.79 (Partick) / 80.162
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Museums
Keywords:
builders, building contractors, children, families, infant mortality, women
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