 The poem was published anonymously in the Christmas edition of "Punch" in 1843 and quickly became a phenomenon, centering people’s attention not only on Mrs. Biddell's case, but on the conditions of workers in general.Though Hood was not politically radical, his work, like that of Charles Dickens, contributed to the general awareness of the condition of the working class which fed the popularity of trade unionism and the push for stricter labour laws.Following is the first stanza of the poem; for the complete text, see the Wikisource link below.