The Victorian era, or the era of the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), was a strange time when some traditions were broken and others were born - strange and repulsive. Perhaps the reason was that the British were crazy about their kings, and with the death of Victoria's husband, Prince Albert in 1861, widespread mourning began in the country. In conditions of eternal sorrow, you begin to look at the death of a loved one from a different angle. What is now terrifying and causes an unpleasant stirring of the hair on the head, then it was not obvious, but the norm ...

Attention: the article contains shocking footage, it is not recommended for viewing by site visitors under 18 years of age, as well as people with a traumatized psyche!

Posthumous portraits

Until 1839, portraits were painted with a brush on canvas (or wood) - this was a long and costly business, not accessible to everyone, but with the invention of the daguerreotype, getting your own portrait, or a portrait of relatives and loved ones, became accessible to almost everyone. True, the middle class often did not think about it, and clutched their heads only after family members "played the box."

Post-mortem portraits began to enjoy great popularity. And with the invention of the carte de visite in the middle of the century, photographs could be printed in any quantity and distributed to all near and far relatives and friends.

Given the high infant mortality rate, post-mortem photos of babies of all ages have become especially popular. At that time, such images were not perceived as taboo, but were a kind of norm.

The idea of ​​post-mortem photographs caught on so wonderfully that, as a result, it reached a new level. Photographers tried to add "life" to the portraits, and the corpses were filmed surrounded by family.

The dead children were thrust into the hands of their favorite toys, and their eyes were forcibly opened and propped up with something so that they would not accidentally slam shut during slow shooting. Sometimes the photographer's students added rosy cheeks to the corpse.

sad decorations

The only thing acceptable for women was to wear products made of brown coal as mourning decorations - dark and gloomy, it was supposed to personify longing for the departed. Jewelers, it must be said, took no less money for charcoal products than for jewelry with rubies or emeralds.

This was worn during the first stage of mourning. A year and a half. On the second, a woman could afford to wear some kind of jewelry. But with one caveat - they had to contain hair. Human. Hair from the head of the deceased.

Brooches, bracelets, rings, chains, everything was made from hair - sometimes they were included in gold or silver jewelry, sometimes the jewelry itself was made exclusively from hair cut from a corpse.

The widow was required to wear a heavy black veil that hid her face for the first three months after her husband's death. After three months, the veil was allowed to be lifted onto the hat, which, of course, greatly facilitated the movement of women in space.

Almost nothing was visible through the mourning veil. With a veil on her hat, the woman walked for another nine months. In total, a woman did not have the right to remove mourning for two years. But the majority, along with the queen, preferred not to take it off for the rest of their lives.

Haunted houses

When one of the family members died, the mirrors in the house were curtained with a dark cloth. For some reason, this norm took root in Russia, but not in such a global time frame - in Victorian England, mirrors were kept closed for at least a year.

If a mirror fell and broke in the house, this was considered a sure sign that someone in the family would die one of these days. And if someone did die, the clock in the whole house was stopped exactly at the moment of his death. People sincerely believed that if this was not done, it would bring new deaths and troubles.

But they carried the dead out of the house head first, so that the rest of the family would not “follow” him.

With all this, coffins with bells were especially popular in the Victorian era. Here, it seems, he died and died, but just in case, the corpses were not buried for almost a week, and then they hung a bell over the grave, in case the deceased turns out to be alive and well by coincidence and, waking up in the grave, will be able to tell the whole world, that it needs to be dug up.

The fear of being buried alive was so great that bells were attached just in case to everyone who was buried in the ground, even to a corpse with obvious signs of decomposition. In order to make the task completely easier for the potential living, the bell was connected by a chain with a ring, which was worn on the index finger of the deceased.

Well, for a snack - completely unrealistic photographs of people without a head of the Victorian era. If you believe all sorts of archives, this method of photo manipulation was exactly in second place after the post-mortem photo. Damn them, these Englishmen...

Interesting Facts
about Queen Victoria and the Victorian era

May 24, 1819 Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was born. On the birthday of the great queen, we recall interesting facts about her and the era named after her - the "Victorian era".

Queen Victoria

The Queen's full name is Georgina Charlotte Augusta Alexandrina Victoria. It was named in honor of the Prince Regent, close relatives and the Russian Tsar.

It was after the wedding of Victoria that a tradition appeared when all brides wear a white dress.

For the British queen, English was not native. Her mother, the daughter of a German duke, always spoke German at home and therefore Victoria never learned to speak fluent English.

Queen Victoria
became queen at 18

- Victoria was on the throne for 64 years, a record time for a monarch. Her birthday is still celebrated as a holiday in Canada. At the same time, Victoria spent 40 years of her life as a widow. She constantly wore a black dress, and among the people and in the army she was nicknamed: "The Widow."

The happiest day, according to Victoria, is the day of marriage with "her angel" Prince Albert. By the way, since she was the queen, it was the queen who proposed to Albert, and not vice versa.

Victoria at 4

Victoria had 9 children and 34 grandchildren. However, the queen did not like small children and was squeamish about babies. The queen experienced the disadvantages of longevity - she outlived her three children.

Victoria liked to drink a cocktail called Vin Mariani. One of its main ingredients was cocaine.

Victoria wrote 8,000 letters to her eldest daughter Vika, who was married to Germany.

Height at Queen Victoria
was 1 m 52 cm

- Victoria's first letter to Russia, dated 1837 and addressed to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (wife of Nicholas I), is nothing more than gratitude for congratulations on the occasion of her accession to the throne.

One day, Queen Victoria was at a diplomatic reception in London, where an African leader was the guest of honor. Everything was going well until dinner arrived. Each person present was given a bowl to wash their hands. The African did not know what this object was intended for and drank the entire contents of the bowl.

All the lords were simply stunned by what they saw and began to whisper, but the queen found a way out of the situation. She followed the example of the African guest, and all the courtiers followed her. This act of the queen allowed the African leader to avoid embarrassment.

Victorian era

- A distinctive feature of this era is the absence of significant wars (with the exception of the Crimean war), which allowed the country to develop intensively - in particular, in the field of infrastructure development, construction of railways.

In the field of economics, the industrial revolution and the development of capitalism continued during this period.

By the end of the 19th century Britain
was the strongest maritime power

- The social image of this era is characterized by a strict moral code (gentlemanship), which reinforced conservative values ​​and class differences.

In the field of foreign policy, Britain's colonial expansion in Asia and Africa continued.

1851 International Industrial Exhibition
Lithograph by A. Butler in Hansen M. 2000 Years of London.
Illustrated History, 1967

The industrial revolution during this era in Britain led to a significant increase in the number of factories, warehouses, shops. There was a rapid increase in population, which led to the growth of cities. The leading positions in industrial production remained until the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries.

In the 1850s, the whole of Britain was covered by a network of railroads, which greatly improved the position of industrialists, as it facilitated the delivery of goods and raw materials. Britain has become a highly productive country that has left other European states far behind

At the heart of many achievements
Victorian era
lie the values ​​and energies of the middle class

- Despite the significant success of Britain during this period, the Victorian era was also a period of doubt and disappointment. This was due to the fact that the progress of science undermined faith in the inviolability of biblical truths.

At the same time, there was no significant growth of atheists, and atheism itself still remained an unacceptable system of views for society and the church.

The Victorian era was marked by the strengthening of the position of the middle class, which led to the dominance of its core values ​​in society. In honor were sobriety, punctuality, diligence, frugality, thriftiness.

These qualities soon became the norm, as their usefulness in the new industrial world was undeniable. Queen Victoria herself acted as an example of such behavior.

Earliest known photo of Victoria,
showing her with her eldest daughter, taken circa 1845

The rapid development of Britain from an agrarian state to an industrial state led to the rapid growth of cities and the emergence of new jobs, but did not alleviate the situation of workers and their living conditions.

The Victorian era was a period of parliamentary restructuring, as well as the formation and strengthening of the main parties that exist in Britain today.

Victorian era for Britain
was marked by the expansion
colonial possessions

- By the end of the 19th century, Britain was the strongest maritime power, and also controlled a significant part of the land.

The main task of Britain of that period in the foreign policy arena was not the conquest of new territories, but the maintenance of order in the old ones.

The Victorian era is considered the reign of the English Queen Victoria (1837 - 1901). During this period, England made a big breakthrough, both politically and economically. Many inventions and social innovations have been made that have completely changed the modern world.

inventions

During the Victorian era, new inventions were in full swing. For example, in 1876 Alexander Bell invented the telephone, and 19 years later, in 1895, Guglielmo Marconi invented the radio. But not only that. The camera, the toilet, the sewing machine, the vacuum cleaner, the train and the printing of newspapers were all invented and brought to life during the Victorian era. Yes, the steam engine and the police are also inventions of that time.

Rules of behavior

During the reign of Queen Victoria, the rules of etiquette, behavior and morality were extremely strict. Children were not allowed to make noise and spend much time with their parents. Ladies were not allowed to wear dresses that did not cover their ankles. And the men did not call a single unmarried girl by name until she got engaged to someone.

social structure

During the Victorian era, there was a class system that included the upper class, the middle class, and the working class. After the industrial revolution, which took place in the same period, class inequality was somewhat smoothed out. In particular, the middle class, which made good money during the industrial revolution, began to live much better and richer. By the way, during the Victorian era, the population of Great Britain doubled.

healthcare

During the Victorian era, the largest number of health-related deaths were caused by tuberculosis. At that time, painkillers or anesthesia were not used during operations, so a person on the operating table could endure unbearable pain and suffering for several hours.

meal

In addition to all of the above, Victorianism was remembered by contemporaries for dining in basements, since it was believed that food was best digested when the body was in the dark. Therefore, most of the Victorian era dining rooms were located in the basements of houses.

And as a bonus, we offer you to find out 8 more truly amazing video facts about the Victorian era. Don't miss the video below!

Victorian era (1837-1901) - the period of the reign of Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India.

Although this era is generally clearly tied to a specific country (Great Britain), it is often linked in general as the era of steampunk. And there are reasons for this.

But first, a little about Queen Victoria herself.

Victoria (eng. Victoria, baptismal names Alexandrina Victoria - eng. Alexandrina Victoria) (May 24, 1819 - January 22, 1901) - Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from June 20, 1837, Empress of India from May 1, 1876 (proclamation in India - 1 January 1877), the last representative of the Hanoverian dynasty on the throne of Great Britain.

Victoria has been on the throne for over 63 years - more than any other British monarch. The Victorian era coincided with the Industrial Revolution and the heyday of the British Empire. Numerous dynastic marriages of her children and grandchildren strengthened the ties between the royal dynasties of Europe and increased the influence of Great Britain on the continent (she was called the "Grandmother of Europe").

1837. Portrait of the Queen after her coronation.

And this is her classic (one might even say - the canonical look).

The Industrial Revolution turned Britain into a country of smoking factories, huge warehouses and shops. The population increased rapidly, cities expanded, and in the 1850s the country was covered with a network of railroads. Highly productive and far behind other countries, Britain became the "workshop of the world", which she demonstrated at the first international industrial exhibition in 1851. The country retained its leading position until the end of the century. Against the background of rapid transformation, the negative aspects became more and more noticeable: unsanitary conditions in the dwellings of workers, child labor, low wages, poor working conditions and exhaustingly long working hours.

World Exhibition of 1851. The first of such exhibitions.

The British themselves in our time perceive the era of their zenith ambiguously. There were too many different things, including hypocrisy ..

During this period, people belonging to the upper and middle classes adhered to strict values, among which were the following:

Sense of duty and diligence;

Respectability: a mixture of morality and hypocrisy, strictness and conformity to social standards (having good manners, owning a comfortable home, regular church attendance and charity), it was this that separated the middle class from the lower;

Charity and philanthropy: an occupation that attracted many wealthy people, especially women.

Patriarchal orders reigned in the family, so a single woman with a child became marginalized due to the widespread idea of ​​\u200b\u200bfemale chastity. Sexuality was suppressed, affectation and hypocrisy were extremely common.
Colonialism was also an important phenomenon, it led to the spread of patriotism and was influenced by ideas of racial superiority and the concept of the white man's mission.

The rules of conduct and morality were very strict, and their violations were strongly condemned. Severe corporal punishment was extremely common in families and educational institutions. Such phenomena as affectation and excessive moderation, suppression are considered important and very common features of the Victorian era. So, in English, the word "Victorian" is still synonymous with the words "sanctimonious", "hypocritical".

Despite the efforts of the state to streamline economic life, the industrialization of society had its negative consequences. Unthinkable poverty may not have increased compared to the old days, but became a real problem for society when the mass of the poor migrated to the urban slums. There was growing uncertainty about the future, because under the new economic system, ups and downs alternated, as a result of which workers lost their jobs and joined the ranks of the poor. The defenders of the system argued that there was nothing to be done, since such were the “iron laws” of the economy.

But such views have been challenged by socialist thinkers such as Robert Owen and Karl Marx; their views were condemned by Charles Dickens, William Morris and other prominent writers and artists.

The Victorian era saw the birth and growth of the labor movement, from self-help and self-education programs (cooperatives, mechanic schools) to mass uprisings such as the Chartist struggles of the 1830s and 40s. for the expansion of political rights. Trade unions, which had been outside the law until the 1820s, gained real strength with the growth of socialist sentiment.

Although the Victorians failed to cope with the problem of poverty, the social and economic achievements of the era were significant.

Mass production led to the emergence of new types of products, the standard of living gradually increased. The development of industry opened up new professional opportunities - for example, the growing demand for typists allowed a significant number of literate women to get a job for the first time in their lives. A new mode of transport - trains - daily transported employees from the city home to the suburbs, and workers every weekend - on excursions to the coast, which eventually became an invariable attribute of the English way of life.

English school in 1897. Late Victorian era.

Family photo from the Victorian era.

Another photo of a Victorian school.

And here is what the Victorian era looked like through the eyes of photographic lenses (by the way, the photo appeared just then):

Childhood photos of that time:

By the way, then they went to school at the age of 8-9.

Do you want to see how teeth were treated back then? Like this:

Mechanical drill of the Victorian era. Want to try?

Rule, Britannia by the seas! Map of the world in 1897.

Indeed, an empire on which the sun never sets.

This is by no means a documentary photo. But this may well have happened in world history. Advanced steampunk, yes.

Here is what everyday life looked like in that era:

A train leaving Paddington Station.

And this is the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Victoria's coronation. 1897

Photos of this event:

Would I like to live at that time? And it depends on the social status :) Then the social-class division was much sharper than today.

Moreover, the average life expectancy in those days was about 40 years.

So most likely I would not refuse to visit that time, but to live there permanently - I most likely would not like it too much. Although, of course, I would adapt :)

During the long reign of Queen Victoria, significant changes took place in British society: industrialization, imperial expansion and the formation of democracy. Although poverty has not disappeared, the lives of many people have become more prosperous.

Victorian era

Queen Victoria ascended the throne in 1837 at the age of eighteen and reigned for 63 years, until 1901. Although this period was a time of unprecedented change, the foundations of society remained unchanged throughout the second half of the 19th century. - an era named after the Victorian queen personifying it.

Peace Workshop

The Industrial Revolution turned Britain into a country of smoking factories, huge warehouses and shops. The population increased rapidly, cities expanded, and in the 1850s the country was covered with a network of railroads. High performance and leaving

far behind other countries, Britain became the "workshop of the world", which she demonstrated at the first international industrial exhibition in 1851. The country retained its leading position until the end of the century. Against the background of rapid transformation, the negative aspects became more and more noticeable: unsanitary conditions in the dwellings of workers, child labor, low wages, poor working conditions and exhaustingly long working hours.

Victorian values

In the days of Queen Victoria, the middle class came into its own. The values ​​professed by the middle class began to prevail in society. Sobriety, punctuality, diligence, frugality and thrift were valued even before the reign of Victoria, but it was in her era that these qualities became the norm. This was natural, since it was they who proved to be the most useful in the new industrial world. The queen herself set an example: her life, completely subordinated to duty and family, was strikingly different from the lives of her two predecessors. Much of the aristocracy followed suit, abandoning the flashy, often scandalous lifestyle of the previous generation. So did the highly skilled part of the working class.

The values ​​and energy of the middle class undoubtedly underpinned all the achievements of the Victorian era. True, its representatives also possessed unattractive features: a philistine confidence that prosperity is a reward for virtue (and, therefore, losers simply do not deserve better); driven to the extreme by puritanism in family life, which gave rise to feelings of guilt and hypocrisy.
Religion played an important role in the Victorian era, but a surprisingly large part of the huge population of cities hardly came into contact with it. Such Protestant trends as Methodists and Congregationalists, as well as the evangelical wing of the Anglican Church, had undeniable influence in the country. At the same time, there was a revival of the Roman Catholic faith and the Anglo-Catholic movement within the Anglican Church, committed to ritual and dogma.

Foundations and doubts

The Victorian era was, among other things, a period of doubt and disappointment, as the progress of science undermined faith in the inviolability of biblical truths. But still, atheism remained an unacceptable system of views for society and the church, which is why the generally recognized atheist Charles Bradlow managed to get a seat in the House of Commons (the lower house of the British Parliament) only in 1880, after a number of unsuccessful attempts.
The event most subversive of religious dogma was the publication in 1859 of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, since his theory of evolution implied that man was not the result of divine creation, which gave him supremacy over all other forms of life, but developed in the process of evolution of the natural peace. For much of the Victorian era, the church denied this and similar scientific hypotheses that it had to come to terms with in the 20th century.

Parties and politics

The Victorian Parliament was more representative than its predecessors and listened more to public opinion. In 1832, before Victoria's accession to the throne, parliamentary reform gave a significant segment of the middle class the right to vote (later laws in 1867 and 1884 gave the majority of adult men the right to vote; at the same time, a movement to give women the right to vote was launched).
The subordination of the government to the reigning monarch was ended under William IV (1830-37), and, despite all the reverence for Queen Victoria, she had only a slight influence on cabinet ministers and their political decisions. The ministers were accountable to parliament, especially the Commons, and, as party discipline was not yet rigid enough, they were not always able to enforce their decisions. By the 1860s Whigs and Tories took shape in much more clearly organized Liberal and Conservative parties, led respectively by Gladstone and Disraeli. But discipline in both parties was too liberal to keep them from splitting. The Ireland problem had a constant influence on the policy pursued by Parliament. Famine of 1845-46 forced Robert Peel to reconsider the grain trade laws that kept the price of British agricultural products high. The Free Trade Act was introduced as part of a general Victorian movement to create a more open, competitive society.
Meanwhile, Peel's decision to repeal the Corn Laws divided the Conservative Party. Twenty years later, William Gladstone's work to "appease" (his own term) Ireland, and his commitment to self-government, caused a split among the Liberals.
During this reformist period, the foreign policy environment remained relatively calm. The conflict came to a head in 1854-56, when Britain and France launched the Crimean War with Russia. But even this conflict was only local in nature: the campaign was conducted to curb Russian imperial aspirations in the Balkans. In fact, it was just one of the rounds in the protracted Eastern Question (a diplomatic issue linked to the decline of the Turkish Ottoman Empire) - the only thing that seriously affected Britain in the pan-European politics of the Victorian era. In 1878, England was on the verge of another war with Russia, but remained on the sidelines of the European alliances that subsequently split the continent. British Prime Minister Salisbury called this policy of avoiding long-term alliances with other powers "brilliant isolation."

Imperial expansion

Meanwhile, the British Empire, which by 1837 included vast territories all over the planet, continued to expand. The colonies settled by Europeans, in particular Canada and Australia, gradually passed to self-government. At the same time, significant areas on the political map of the world, especially in Africa, acquired a red color, indicating belonging to British possessions.
In England, the imperial outlook was surprisingly slow to develop, even after Disraeli made a purely ostentatious gesture in 1876 by proclaiming Victoria Empress of India. But by the 1890s, the British finally realized that their empire was the greatest that had ever existed in history. Thanks to the successes of domestic and foreign policy, the government enjoyed great confidence of the people. It was only partly shaken in the twilight of the Victorian era by the setbacks of the Boer War, which took three years (1899-1902) to subdue South African farmers, descendants of Dutch settlers. The hostility of Europeans to this campaign called into question the further expediency of "brilliant isolation" and became the reason for the changes that took place at the beginning of the 20th century.

At the service of a new society

The fundamental social value of that period is a deep conviction that the individual should be as free as possible from control or interference by the state. But, although outdated legal restrictions were eliminated, the role of the state in industrial society actually increased. Thus, state health regulations and factory laws protected workers from poverty and exploitation.
To increase the efficiency of organization and functioning, the new society needed public services such as mail (postage stamps and the principle of a fixed fee regardless of distance were innovations of this particular era). In connection with the increase in demand for skilled labor, in 1870 a state educational system was introduced that guaranteed the receipt of primary education. Universal secondary education was introduced only in 1902.

The problem of poverty

Despite the efforts of the state to streamline economic life, the industrialization of society had its negative consequences. Unthinkable poverty may not have increased compared to the old days, but became a real problem for society when the mass of the poor migrated to the urban slums. There was growing uncertainty about the future, because under the new economic system, ups and downs alternated, as a result of which workers lost their jobs and joined the ranks of the poor. The defenders of the system argued that there was nothing to be done, since such were the “iron laws” of the economy. But such views have been challenged by socialist thinkers such as Robert Owen and Karl Marx; their views were condemned by Charles Dickens, William Morris and other prominent writers and artists.
The Victorian era saw the birth and growth of the labor movement, from self-help and self-education programs (cooperatives, mechanic schools) to mass uprisings such as the Chartist struggles of the 1830s and 40s. for the expansion of political rights. Trade unions, which had been outside the law until the 1820s, gained real strength with the growth of socialist sentiment.

Era Achievements

Although the Victorians failed to cope with the problem of poverty, the social and economic achievements of the era were significant.
Mass production led to the emergence of new types of products, the standard of living gradually increased. The development of industry opened up new professional opportunities - for example, the growing demand for typists allowed a significant number of literate women to get a job for the first time in their lives. A new mode of transport - trains - daily transported employees from the city home to the suburbs, and workers every weekend - on excursions to the coast, which eventually became an invariable attribute of the English way of life.
Despite great changes, the Victorian era did not shake the confidence and optimism of the nation. The British believed that they could and should maintain the status of a leading world power, and only the outbreak of the First World War made them doubt this.

Victorianism. D. M. W. Turner. Rain, steam and speed. 1844

KEY DATES

1837 Victoria becomes queen
1840 Introduction of postage stamps. Victoria marries Albert
1846 Repeal of the Corn Laws
1851 First World's Fair
1854-56 Crimean War
1861 Death of Prince Albert
1867 Second parliamentary reform
1870 Education Bill: introduction of public school reform
1872 Introduction of secret ballot
1876 ​​Victoria is proclaimed Empress of India
1884 General suffrage for men
1886 Liberal Party split over Irish Home Rule
1893 Gladstone's last Home Rule Bill
1899-1902 Boer War
1901 Death of Queen Victoria