Country life was idealized by the Victorians into a rural idyll. 19th-century artists sought to perpetuate this image and their work found its greatest expression in images of cottages and cottage life. Drawing on the watercolours of Helen Allingham, Myles Birket Foster and Charles Wilson, and the writings of Flora Thompson and Thomas Hardy, this book describes the cottages themselves, how they were built and organized internally, and the farming and domestic traditions that determined the cottagers' lives. Harvesting, cider-making and wash day are a few of the activities described, as well as some of the more unusual customs. By contrasting the reality with the art, the book finds that these paintings convey more truth than one might expect at first glance.