The painting shows the types of different activities and people you might have seen in a busy Victorian Street. The Towns would have been full of all different types of people, both rich and poor. Let's find out about some of the people in the painting...

"I'm a navvy that's short for 'navigator'. The first navigators built the canals at the end of the 1700s. I'm young and strong and the hero in this painting."

"We are digging this hole so that sewer pipes can be put in. This will stop the sewage getting mixed up with the drinking water and poisoning people. I am working very hard."

"I'm a beer seller from Birmingham. I was brought up in a slum but I've worked hard to earn a good living. I like brightly wear coloured clothes and stand out from the crowd."

"I'm very rich because I'm a Colonel in the Army and a member of Parliament. My duaghter is riding beside me. I like to buy her beautiful dresses and gifts.
She doesn't go to work. We have servants to look after us."

"Our mother died and now I have to look after my little brothers and sisters, and our dog. I'm wearing my mum's old red dress. It's far too big for me but we can't afford to buy new clothes."

"I make a living by going out into the countryside very early in the morning to pick wild flowers and then coming back here to sell them.
I wear the flowers on my hat as an advert for my goods.

"We are working just as hard as the men digging the hole, but we are using our brains. We are rich and well dressed. We believe that all people should receive an education."