Victorian Workhouse Christmas

A vast Victorian workhouse dining hall, long wooden tables stretching into darkness. Snow blows in through a cracked high window, settling on benches and stone floors. Gas lamps hang from the ceiling but burn weakly, some unlit. The space feels cavernous, echoing, cold. In the foreground, a group of workhouse inmates seated at the table — not a single figure. Men, women, and children wrapped in thin uniforms and shawls. Each holds an empty bowl, hands red from cold. One small child presses both hands around a chipped tin cup, breathing into it for warmth. Double exposure effect (embedded within the CENTRAL GROUP, not a silhouette): A narrow workhouse dormitory stacked with iron beds. Frost forming on blankets and pillows. A Christmas calendar page barely visible on the wall: December 25. A single crust of bread broken into pieces. A dying coal fire with gray ash. Background depth: A long perspective of tables disappearing into shadow. A supervising figure barely visible at the far end of the hall. High stone arches coated with damp frost. Lighting & tone: Cold slate blues and dirty whites. Weak yellow gaslight pooling on tabletops. No warmth — only endurance and routine. TEXT (RIGHT SIDE ONLY): Very large, bold, softly glowing title: A VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS IN THE WORKHOUSE Smaller line beneath: The Harsh Winter of 1885