Victorian Britain

Ema Claudia Popescu

Diana Valentina Dragu
 VICTORIAN ERA
Victorian era, in British history, is the
period between approximately 1820 and 1914,
corresponding roughly but not exactly to the
period of Queen Victoria’s reign (1837–1901)
and characterized by a class-based society, a
growing number of people able to vote, a
growing state and economy, and Britain’s
status as the most powerful empire in the
world.
During the Victorian period, Britain was a
powerful nation with a rich culture. It had a
stable government, a growing state, and an
expanding franchise. It also controlled a large
empire, and it was wealthy, in part because of
its degree of industrialization and its imperial
holdings and in spite of the fact that three-
fourths or more of its population was working-
class. Late in the period, Britain began to
decline as a global political and economic
power relative to other major powers,
particularly the United States, but this decline
was not acutely noticeable until after World
War II.
 Gender and class
in Victorian society
Victorian society was organized
hierarchically. While race, religion, region, MEN WOMEN
and occupation were all meaningful were independent. were dependent.
aspects of identity and status, the main
organizing principles of Victorian society belonged in the public belonged in the private
were gender and class. As is suggested by sphere sphere
the sexual double standard, gender was
were meant to were meant to run
considered participate in politics and households and raise
to be biologically based and to be in paid work. families.
determinative of almost every aspect of an
individual’s potential and character. (who were distracted by were also thought to be
sexual passions by which naturally more religious
Victorian gender ideology was premised
women supposedly were and morally finer than
on the “doctrine of separate spheres.” This untroubled) men
stated that men and women were different
and meant for different things.
 Religion and science
MOST VICTORIAN BRITONS WERE CHRISTIAN. THE ANGLICAN
CHURCHES OF ENGLAND, WALES, AND IRELAND WERE THE STATE
CHURCHES (OF WHICH THE MONARCH WAS THE NOMINAL HEAD) AND
DOMINATED THE RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE (EVEN THOUGH THE
MAJORITY OF WELSH AND IRISH PEOPLE WERE MEMBERS OF OTHER
CHURCHES). THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND WAS PRESBYTERIAN. THERE
WAS SOME RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY, AS BRITAIN ALSO WAS HOME TO
OTHER NON-ANGLICAN PROTESTANTS (NOTABLY METHODISTS),
ROMAN CATHOLICS, JEWS, MUSLIMS, HINDUS, AND OTHERS (AT THE
END OF THE PERIOD THERE WERE EVEN A FEW ATHEISTS).
ALONGSIDE THEIR FAITH, VICTORIANS MADE AND APPRECIATED
DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE. THE BEST-KNOWN VICTORIAN SCIENTIFIC
DEVELOPMENT IS THAT OF THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION. IT IS
TYPICALLY CREDITED TO CHARLES DARWIN, BUT VERSIONS OF IT
WERE DEVELOPED BY EARLIER THINKERS AS WELL, AND THE
PSEUDOSCIENCE OF EUGENICS WAS AN UGLY OUTGROWTH OF
VICTORIAN EVOLUTIONARY THEORY. VICTORIANS WERE ALSO
FASCINATED BY THE EMERGING DISCIPLINE OF PSYCHOLOGY AND BY
THE PHYSICS OF ENERGY.
Charles Darwin
1809 - 1882
 D EAD L Y TRENDS
1. Catching Tuberculosis

According to researcher Alexis Karl, the symptomatic pale skin of consumptives was associated with innocence, beauty, and
above all else wealth. For those ladies who had to work outdoors a surefire way to keep pale was to catch TB. Contracting the
Red Death had other beauty benefits, as well. The watery eyes, narrow waist, and translucent complexion of Tuberculosis
victims was highly prized and women with the disease were considered extraordinarily beautiful. That being said, death by
tuberculosis was pretty horrific,That being said, death by tuberculosis was pretty horrific, and it seems unlikely that any level-
headed person would try to catch it on purpose.

2.Whitening Skin with Lead Lotions

In order to rid themselves of freckles and blemishes, many Victorian women turned to corrosive face lotions. Though
companies advertised that their “toilet preparations” were harmless, the American Medical Association begged to differ. In
1869, the AMA published a paper entitled “Three Cases of Lead Palsy from the Use of a Cosmetic Called ‘Laird’s Bloom of
Youth’” which warned women of potential health risks from these so-called safe beauty treatments. Considering the face lotion
contained lead acetate, it’s no surprise Laird’s Blood of Youth caused side effects such as paralysis, muscle atrophy, headaches,
and nausea.
Quick Facts About Victorian Fashion
An hourglass silhouette was accentuated by tight corsets. Extreme styles
introduced hoop skirts and bustles to fashion.
The creation of synthetic dyes led to bright, wild colors. Highly
ornamental fashions included ruffles, lace, and draping. The Aesthetic and
Rational Dress movements questioned the dictate of fashion.

Victorian Clothing: Prim, Proper, and Outrageous

Despite the prim and proper feminine ideal of the time, fashions of the
Victorian period created an often exaggerated, ostentatious look. Tight corsets,
gigantic hoop-skirts, and outrageous bustles make today's fashion trends look
sedate by comparison.
Clothing styles were dictated by propriety, and stylish garments were a sign of
respectability. The copious amounts of fabric used in the creation of Victorian
skirts usually meant that most women owned few outfits. Detachable collars
and cuffs enabled a woman to change the look of a garment for a bit of variety.
Of course, wealthier women owned more garments that were made of finer
fabrics and used more material and embellishments.
Early Victorian Fashion
1836 ushered in a new change from the Romantic style of dress. Large
Gignot sleeves suddenly slimmed and a seam line dropped the shoulder of
dresses. A tight fitting bodice was boned and slanted to emphasize the waist.
Cartridge pleats at the waist created volume in the skirt without adding bulk
to the waist. Women of a higher social class were expected to be demure and
indolent as reflected by the restrictive dropped shoulder lines and corsets.
Dresses in soft colors could be refreshed with detachable white collars
and cuffs. In the 1840s, extra flounces were added to skirts and women wore a
short over-skirt in day dressing. Skirts widened as the hourglass silhouette
became the popular look, and women took to wearing layers of petticoats.
Bodices took on a V shape and the shoulder dropped more.
Evening wear exposed the shoulders and neckline, and corsets lost their
shoulder straps. Sleeves of ball gowns were usually short. Although women
wore what we call "dresses," many of these costumes were actually a separate
bodice and skirt. Three-quarter length sleeves lasted through most of the
Victorian period and some sleeves began to sprout bell shaped ruffles.
For most of the 19th century, bonnets were the headgear of choice. Styles
varied from plain to heavily ornamented.
 TEA GOWNS
Popular between 1870 - 1910, the Tea Gown was common wear for women receiving guests at
home for tea. The hostess hoped to depict an artistic sensibility, influenced by fantasy, exotic
styles, and earlier historical periods. The Tea Gown represented a lower level of formality worn
without a corset and made of soft, flowing fabric, and trim.

Mourning Dress
There were several stages of mourning dress for a widow lasting for 2 1/2 years.
The first stage, lasting one year, required women to dress entirely in black.
Later, some ornamentation would be added to lusher fabrics. The last 6 months
of mourning reintroduced some color into a widow's wardrobe including white,
gray, and shades of purple.

FOOTWEAR
In 1837, British inventor J. Sparks Hall gave Queen Victoria the first pair of boots
that featured elasticized side gussets. The easy to wear, slip on boots caught on and
was popular throughout the 19th century for both men's and women's footwear.
Front lacing boots called Balmorals resembled modern boxing boots with pearl
buttons. Late Victorians often wore Balmorals with contrasting fabric tops.
 Victorian culture and art

More access made British cultural products more important. Not only did they reveal much
about the society from which they emerged, but during the Victorian period Britain was the
cultural capital of the English-speaking world (including the United States, Canada,
Australia, and New Zealand). Victorian performance and print culture were rich and varied,
a blend of melodrama, spectacle, and morality.

Theatre thrived. Melodrama—which featured evil villains, virtuous heroines, and intricate plots—was the
most important and most popular genre early on; later, sensation drama became popular. Even more popular
were music halls, which featured varied programs of singing, dancing, sketches, and more; these emerged in
the 1850s, and by the 1870s there were hundreds across Britain, some seating thousands of people. Music
halls attracted people of all classes.

Print culture was also large and diverse, aided by relatively high literacy rates. There were hundreds of
magazines and newspapers available at ever cheaper prices. The 1880s saw the emergence of “the New
Journalism,” which drew in readers with pieces on violent crimes and scandals in high society. Novels were
another key feature of Victorian print culture. By mid-century, Britons of all classes could afford and read
novels. Some were aimed at highly educated and well-off people, others at less-educated readers looking for
appealing and exciting stories. Penny dreadfuls and sensation novels, seen at their best in the work of Wilkie
Collins, thrilled their readers. Victorian novels were often quite long, with complicated plots (often centred
on marriages) and many characters. Many, especially those by Charles Dickens, are still read today.
 The Victorian British Economy

Britain’s status as a world political power was bolstered by a strong economy, which
grew rapidly between 1820 and 1873. This half-century of growth was followed by an
economic depression and from 1896 until 1914 by a modest recovery. With the earliest
phases of industrialization over by about 1840, the British economy expanded. Britain
became the richest country in the world, but many people worked long hours in harsh
conditions. Yet, overall, standards of living were rising. While the 1840s were a bad time
for workers and the poor—they were dubbed “the hungry forties”—overall the trend
was toward a less precarious life. Most families not only had a home and enough to eat
but also had something leftover for alcohol, tobacco, and even vacations to the
countryside or the seaside. Of course, some decades were times of plenty, others of want.
Relative prosperity meant that Britain was a nation not only of shopkeepers but of
shoppers (with the rise of the department store from mid-century transforming the
shopping experience). Increased wealth, including higher real wages from the 1870s,
meant that even working-class people could purchase discretionary items. Mass
production meant that clothes, souvenirs, newspapers, and more were affordable to
almost everyone.
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