Work Relic - Kitchen, 1900s

This kitchen has been reconstructed at the Ragged School Museum. Although it looks Victorian it is actually an East End kitchen from the early 20th century. Domestic work, which was almost exclusively carried out by women, was very hard. The technological advances of the industrial revolution that affected other areas of work had little impact on domestic work until well into the twentieth century. This was mainly because middle class people had domestic servants during the Victorian and Edwardian eras so there was no imperative for them to make domestic work easier. Technological advances that did make domestic work easier, such as piped hot water and the gas cooker, were beyond the means of working class families for some time to come.

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Leisure Relic - Schuco teddy bear, 1930

This is a Yes/No teddy bear, so called because it has a small tail that when manipulated results in the bear's head either nodding or shaking. The Yes/No bear was first made in 1921 and this example dates from about 1930. It was acquired for the Museum of Childhood at Bethnal Green in 1978, as part of a collection of other Schuco bears and soft toys, all of which came as new from the Schuco factory. Therefore it is a rare example of a teddy bear that has never been loved.

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Building Relic - Small London hammer, 1926

This hammer was used by a London apprentice in the mid 1920s. It is one of the more recognisable objects amongst the thousands in the Making of the Modern World gallery at the Science Museum.

The gallery contains many inventions from 1750 to 2000 that have become part of our everyday lives.

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