The Victorian period was a time of great invention. Many objects that we take for granted today, such as cameras, music players and telephones, originated with the Victorians.
Until the 18th century, the majority of manufacturing was carried out by hand and on a small scale. The technological changes of the Industrial Revolution led to the development of intensive production in factories.
This mass production fed the demand for goods created by a growing middle class. Rather than craftsmen making items to order, large quantities of identical goods could be manufactured and sold in high street shops or advertised in catalogues.
The Great Exhibition of 1851 showcased the finest inventions the Victorians had to offer. These included an eighty bladed penknife, a folding piano, a defensive umbrella and a rubber cape which could be inflated to form a canoe.