The Victorian Era (1832-1901)
Social Structure
Rulers
Wars
Literature During The Victorian Era
The most popular form of literature was novels
- Victorian novels tend to be idealized portraits of difficult lives in which hard work, perseverance, love and luck win out in the end
- The novels usually had an improving nature with an important moral lesson at the core of the story
Other literature during the era:
History
Working Class
Science, philosphy and discovery literature
Charles Darwin (1865)
- An English Naturalist/Scientist
- Published his controversial scientific study On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection
- physical work
- poor living and working conditions
- did not participate in social entertainment
- little education
Queen Victoria
1819-1901
Reforms
Reforms were made for the benefit of the working class.
- education reforms: providing education for more than just the privileged children
- education in 1870 became required and free by state-supported schools, education improved dramatically
- factory reforms: Ten Hours Act limited work hours for women and children in 1847
- political reforms: made to try to close the gap between classes
"My life as a happy person is ended!"
Authors
-Unpopular because she refused to make public appearances
-Became queen on June 10, 1837
-Nine assassination attempts
- 1867 published the novel Alice in Wonderland
- 1871 published the novel Through the looking Glass
- 1874 published the poem The Hunting of the snark
- It describes "With infinite humor the impossible voyage of an improbable crew to find an inconceivable creature."
-Married her German cousin, Prince Albert
-Died on January 22, 1901 at age 80
Charles Dickens (1837-1838)
- An English writer and social critic who was regarded as one of the greatest novelists of the Victorian Era
- Published books such as Pickwick Paper, Oliver Twist and The Christmas Carrol
-Albert died of Typhoid in 1861
- Was a famous novelist and poet
- He regarded himself primarily as a poet
- But in 1887 he published The Return of the Native
Emily Bronte (1847)
- An English poet and novelist, best known for the classic Wuthering Heights
- Emily Bronte's life was sad and tradgic. This is reflected in her stories which dealt with suffering or rebellion and include violence, crime, and punishment
-The first Boer War: from 1880 to 1881
Upper Class
- A Scottish writer
- Famous for his stories about Sherlock Holmes
- In 1887 he published A Study in Scarlet which introduced Sherlock Holmes
Crimean War
Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1848)
- Forms the Pre-Raphalite Brotherhood (group of artists who reject the ugliness of modern life)
- An English poet, illustrator, painter and translator
- His work influenced the European Symbolists
- got there wealth from inherited land or investments
- included people from the church and nobility
- did not have to work
-Alliance between Britain and France
-Britain is the most powerful nation
Mary Anne Evans (1857)
- One of the leading women writers during the Victorian Period
- An English novelist, translator, and journalist
- She took on the pen name George Elliot, and used it to publish many stories
- Was an English short-story writer, poet, and novelist.
- Mostly remembered for his tales and poems of British soldiers in India.
- 1901 he published a novel called Kim. It presented a picture of English colonial life in the teeming world of India.
-Had the best Navy in the world
-This battle ended with the Charge of the Light Brigade
-Great Britain wins first Opium war in 1842
-China is forced to open opium ports
-1879, Zulu war in South Africa
Religion
- most people to church every Sunday
- active Christian groups gave the Church of England a boost
- science started challenging the Bible and Christian beliefs
- Darwin's theory of evolution got attacked for challenging religious beliefs
- He is one of the most popular British poets in the Victorian Era.
- In 1889 he published the poem Crossing the Bar. One of his last poems in his collection.
Marriage
- they were encouraged to marry in the same social class
- women would loose all control to their husbands once married
- women could not have a will of their own, it was the husbands choice how to distribute her belongings
- divorce was very hard to obtain, adultery was the only acceptable reason for divorce
Middle Class
- worked clean jobs
- men provided the income only
- bankers, merchants, shop keepers, and engineers
- Was a British poet
- Characterized as a sage writer. Meaning that he instructed the reader about social issues.
- 1867 published Dover Beach. A poem that mourns a world without faith.
Breakfast
Bacon, Eggs, Kedgeree
Grilled Sheep's Kidneys
Toast, Marmalade
Tea, Coffee, Cocoa
Luncheon
Soup
Hot and Cold Meats
Cheese
Fruit Tarts, Blancmange
Dinner
Soup
Fish
Roast Beef
Stewed Apples
Jelly, Fruit
A Typical Menu For The Rich
Father
- Head of the household
- Worked long hours
- Strict and obeyed by children without question
- The children had to respect their father and always referred to him as "Sir"
- Stayed in his study for peace and quiet
Victorian's Way of Life
Majority of gentlemen used a walking stick or a cane.
Men's Clothing
Most wealthy men wore a top hat while poor men wore caps.
Victorian men often wore a waist coat.
At the beginning of the Victorian era skirts went straight down.
Ladies wore long skirts or dresses.
Hoop disappeared from view and it was back to slimmer skirts, although now wearing what is called a bustle.
Women's Clothing
Later it became fashionable for women to wear their skirts spread over large hoops.
Majority of women wore a hat or a bonnet.
Ladies also wore a corset to pull in their waist.
Servants, Butlers, and Cooks
- Spent her time planning dinner parties, visiting her dressmaker or calling friends.
- Never worked and didn't do her "motherly duties" (ex. washing clothes, cooking, or cleaning)
- "Spare the rod and spoil the child" was a saying Victorian's strongly believed in.
- All households had servants and Butlers who were important with helping around the house.
- Poorest couldn't afford to pay them
- Butler's role was to answer the front door, and wait on the family.
- Cook went shopping and ran the kitchen
Mother
Rollerskating
Music
- it was not only a popular activity among the masses but also a huge fashion statement among women.
- There were rinks in almost every city and for about a quarter you could participate in races, figure skating, and dancing on skates.
Croquet
- croquet was first brought to England in the year 1856 because it was a very popular game in the United States.
- It was so popular because it was not a game of strength but a game of skill.
- So it leveled the playing field so guys and girls could compete and it would be an equal competition.
- Music was very important and many people went to a concert and listened to the great composers of their time.
- The music was mostly a balance of vocal and instrumental sounds.
- Glees were also very popular, these were songs meant for three or more people they paired this with insturments for a very unique sound.
- The people of the Victorian era also loved to dance at all parties and formal events
- The bicycle was actually invented within the Victorian era more specifically in 1880.
- The first bike had wheels of two different sizes, a large one in the front and a smaller one in the back. Society later decided that women should only ride tricycles because of the difficulty that came with riding this bike with a long skirt on.
- So later on in the decade they modified the bike to be suitable for both sexes. That is why bikes today have wheels of the same size.
Bicycling
Big and....
Victorian Design
Painting
- The art of the time period did not just focus on the paintings and decorative arts, it also encompassed architecture and interior design.
- The architect that was hired to build the home or building was in charge and in control of all aspects of the building, the inside the outside and the designs of both.
- When the architects where designing a building they thought through everything so the exterior would compliment and go with the interior.
- Part of the beauty of this time period was the extreme attention to detail. They accentuated everything with classical motifs such as doorknobs, ceilings, floors, rugs, and furniture.
- Great differences between what the rich and the poor ate
- The rich ate a tremendous amount of food and wasted quite a bit of it.
- Meal times were an opportunity for the rich to display there wealth through rich foods, china dishware, and expensive utensils.
- When they ate alone, their dinner consisted of five to six courses
- The diet of the poor was terrible. They ate the scrapings of others or whatever the workhouse would feed them.
Coca-cola was also invented in this time period
- The Victorian era was also known for their work in portraits.
- For most of the painters in this period portraiture was not just a hobby or something they did for fun, portraiture was their full time job.
- Some painters such as Holl and Fildes painted strictly portraits and during this time period there was only one well known landscape painter, his name was John Linnell.
Workforce
FOOD
- Woman
- Woman challenged their traditional roles as mothers and wives
- They looked for jobs previously worked by men
- By the end of the century women became charity workers, teachers, writers, and scientists
- Women social life was no longer a big part of their time
- Still had same responsibilities at home
Victorian's were the first people who invented tea, and it became very popular and the tea room was developed because of it.
- Children
- If you were part of a poor family you had No Choice but to go to work
- They need money to help their family
- Many were used as cheap labor
- Worked long hours with little breaks
Victorian's pound cake recipe also became very popular
Children
... small
Children from working class
- Had few luxuries
- Ate poor food
- Worked long hours everyday
- Lived in damp, filthy conditions
- And many died from dieseases.
Children from rich families
- Usually with the Nanny who taught them right from wrong
- Went on vacations
- Had expensive toys
- Had pets (ex. ponies)
- Well fed, clothed and cleaned
Children's Clothing
(cc) image by quoimedia on Flickr
(cc) image by rocketboom on Flickr