The Matchgirls' Strike actually happened, and Sarah Chapman is a real person from history.
In truth, the matchgirls' strike was about much more than phosphorous poisoning; it was also about the unforgiving and terrible working circumstances they endured.
Sarah Chapman, a dancer, and matchstick maker is missing in Enola Holmes 2. Bessie, she sister, is concerned about her and requests Enola's assistance in finding her. Poor Enola is just two seconds from leaving her detective agency as Bessie arrives with a request.
She eventually finds out that Chapman had uncovered proof that the health risks associated with the use of phosphorus in matchmaking were being concealed. In her desperation to tell the world the truth, Chapman was hidden from her former employers while she looked for a way to get in touch with Lord Tewkesbury, who had acquired a reputation as a great reformer.
Even though Enola and Sherlock Holmes collaborated to solve the case, the evidence was sadly lost; nonetheless, Sarah Chapman did not lose up and ended up calling a strike.
As the movie progresses, Sarah emerges as the detective, master of disguise, and evidence gatherer. Her goal is to reveal a cover-up surrounding her factory's dangerous (and frequently fatal) working conditions.
In order to support her claims and secure justice for the girls who have passed away, Sarah compiles a wide range of data. Sarah would be an excellent choice if Enola wanted to work with another girl to solve mysteries.
Real Life of Sarah Chapman
On October 31, 1862, Sarah Chapman was born. She was the fifth of the couple's seven children, Samuel, a brewer's servant, & Sarah Ann Mackenzie. Chapman spent her early years in Mile End and would spend the rest of her life in London's East End.
By age 19, Sarah was working at Bryant & May as a matchmaker alongside her mother and older sister. By the time of the 1888 strike, Chapman was a long-standing employee of the Bryant & May plant and held a position with a comparable wage.
Sarah married cabinet maker Charles Henry Dearman in December 1891. Sarah Elsie, the first of the couple's six children, was born in 1892. Later, the family relocated to Bethnal Green, where Sarah spent the remainder of her life. In 1922, Charles Henry Dearman passed away.
Matchstick Girls and Phosphorus Poisoning
Women and girls would grab finished matchsticks with their bare hands and put them into boxes, as we witnessed in the exact assembly representation in Enola Holmes 2.
Naturally, being around chemicals resulted in several unpleasant side effects and illnesses specifically related to this line of employment. In the movie, Enola poses as a factory worker and learns that there is a mouth test for the deadly disease typhus.
One 16-year-old was paid just four shillings per week by Bryant & May, a cartel that had established itself in that part of London, just enough for her to buy bread to eat after paying her rent. The biggest danger was a condition known as "phossy jaw," a type of bone cancer brought on by phosphorus exposure.
The phossy jaw was a condition that started with flu-like symptoms & mouth/toothaches after exposure to white phosphorus. These potentially fatal typhus fever symptoms are not unusual. Lord McIntyre and company used typhus as a scapegoat to hide girls' demise at the workplace.
Unfortunately, factories like Bryant & May ignored these significant health issues. Workers claimed that either you rectified the problem on your own (by extracting teeth, etc.) or you would lose your employment.
Another common complaint was foremen deducted to pay for insignificant offenses like talking, dropping matches, and having a "filthy" workspace. As a result of the health risks, rigid workplaces, and fourteen-hour workdays, things reached a breaking point for women in 1888.
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