VICTORIAN HISTORY
The Victorian Era 1837-1901
Victorian era was during the reign of Queen Victorian, from June 20, 1837 until her death on January 22, 1901.
The 63-year period in England saw the demise of rural life and the rapid growth of cities. During her long reign, the country acquired unprecedented power, wealth and influence across the globe. Her reign heralded the birth of the ‘Industrial Revolution’.
The growth from 1840 onward of the railway systems, steamships and the invention of the electric telegraph propelled Britain’s economic success. The British empire became the first major industrial power producing much of the worlds coal, iron steel and textiles as well as, significant advances in medicine, science, the arts and technology. This rapid transformation also led to many socioeconomic changes with the birth and spread of geopolitical movements such as socialism, liberalism, and feminism, and an enormous growth in worldwide population.
The Victorian era in America also saw an explosion of inventions and technology. Many of the developments made during this period are still in use today. Things like locomotives, pedal bicycles, steamships, rubber tires, sewing machines, cars, x-rays, the telephone, and the electric light bulb all had a tremendous impact on the way we lived our lives in the 19th century.
The 1850’s saw ice cream, steel, and pasteurizing invented; 1870 the typewriter; 1876 the telephone; 1879 the electric light bulb, and in 1885 the first petrol driven car appeared. Victorian values dominated American social life for much of the 19th century. Separate roles for men and women were commonplace. Men were expected to earn a wage and conduct politics, while women were responsible for rearing children and domestic work.
The nineteenth century saw the dominance of the protestant work ethic, family values, religious observation and institutional faith flourish. The birth of modern political ideologies can be traced to the Victorian era. The world would never be the same after her death. In short, the Victorian period from 1840 to 1900 was a time of significant change in people’s everyday lives and witnessed a huge shift in population from rural living to overcrowded cities. The Industrial revolution of the late 1800’s transformed America from largely agrarian to Industrial, urban cities.
Notable History in the Mid-Late 19th Century
1855
The United States Capital dome was enlarged
1861-1865
The Civil war raged between the north and the south over the right to own slaves.
1863
The Emancipation Proclamation was signed into law on January 1, 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln declaring “that all persons held as slaves with in the rebellious states are, and henceforth shall be free”.
1870
The invention of the steamship saw the port of New Orleans become a major port for the movement of cargo and people up the Mississippi river.
1870
The First Boardwalk
The first boardwalk was built in Atlantic City along the Atlantic Ocean. Doctors were encouraging beach visits as a way to combat “melancholy” the trend hit the east coast big time.
1870
Thomas Edison in his Newark, NJ laboratory.
In 1879, Edison invented the electric light bulb after a year of tinkering. He is famous for many other inventions which he received 1,093 patents.
1883
The Brooklyn Bridge Construction
The Brooklyn bridge was under construction connecting Manhattan to Brooklyn. The 14-year project was the first steel suspension bridge designed and constructed by Augustus Roebling and completed in 1883
1887
Students in a NY Classroom Salute the Flag.
The Children’s Aid Society built schools to educate children trapped in slums in the city from 1880 -1890. The schools gave immigrant children a strong education and moral foundation.
1880’s
Transporting Goods
In the 1880’s, the popular mode of transporting goods and people across the western United States was by stage coach. It was a long route with many stage coach stops every few hours along the way. Drivers could swap out their tired team of horses for fresh ones and passengers could stretch their legs and get a bite to eat. Hence the name “transportation occurring in stages”. Even though by now, the railroad was now moving freight and passengers, in rural areas, the stage coach was still the popular mode of transportation.
1887
Sod and Mud Home
While the east coast was building wooden structures like our little cottage, that were more reminiscent of homes in Britain; the west was building homes from sod, mud and grass. Wood and other materials were not as plentiful on the great plains.
Late 1880’s
Circus Day
In the late 1880’s families would await the arrival of ‘Circus Day’ when performers, animals, and acrobats from Ringling Bros. Circus would parade through town announcing the arrival of the circus.
1887
Construction of the St. Paul, MN to Seattle, WA Railroad
From 1879 to 1893, it was Americas largest railway system, which became the Great Northern Railway.
1888
International Council of Women
The international council of women became the first organization of women to promote the advancement of women’s rights and equality. Emerged from the growing discourse around gender- based injustice that was prevalent in the later part of the 19th century.
1891
Wounded Knee Massacre
Native American Indians were displaced as white American moved westward. Wounded Knee was the final clash between the United States Government and the North Dakota Sioux Indians. It became the turning point between Native Americans and the government in Indian relations. 250 Native American were killed.
1892
Ellis Island Opens
Ellis Island open and served a a point of entry for immigrants coming to America. It is estimated that more than 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island in the more than 60 years that it was open. The immigrants coming from Europe marked one of the first hugu waves of immigrants to this country
1892
Electric Cable Cars
Electric cable cars emerge on Market Street in San Francisco
1893
The Great Oklahoma Land Rush
President Benjamin Harrison opened up almost 2 million acres of land that was once Indian territory to western settlement. Over 100,000 settlers raced on foot, horseback and wagon to claim land for themselves and their families.
1896
The first automobile comes to town!
Henry Ford drives his first automobile. By the late 1800’s, people had traveled by wagon, stagecoach, train, bicycle, horseback and trolley. Automobiles had not yet been invented until Henry for created the quadricycle, his first attempt at a vehicle that was gas powered. It was constructed of cast iron for ther outer body and a leather belt and chairn for a transmission.
1899
First Waterfront Amusement Park
Due to the popularity of the first boardwalk, it stood to reason that Atlantic City became the site of the nation’s first waterfront amusement park. Steel Pier quickly became a popular site for locals and tourists alike.
The Victorian Woman
For women, marriage and family was their destiny, their lives were confined to a small and private sphere. They could toil, but not vote; they could work their land, but not own it; and, were laced tightly into corsets surrounded by voluminous dresses. But for all that, women in the Victorian era did plenty of fascinating things both within the boundaries of polite society as well as outside.
Queen Victoria believed in the cult of true womanhood. The idea that a society ran best when women and men had their different duties and separate spheres. For society to function well, everyone has to play a certain role. Before online networking and social media, important connections were made at dinner parties and functions. It was important to have a well-run home, a way for the upwardly mobile to display their wealth, thus, the woman of the house helped her family, a well-kept house was an advertisement for success. A dinner filled with many different kinds of forks mattered.
Formal Victorian Hoop-skirt Dress
Daytime Victorian Hoop-skirt Dress
Children in the 1880’s
Dressed for Church 1880’s
House Servant and child
A Day In the Life…
It’s 1860, you wake for the morning, it’s dark outside, there is no electricity so you reach for the oil lamp.
Oil lamps, using whale oil, were common place until 1882, when only the wealthiest had electricity. It was not until the 1920’s when electricity became available in many homes.
There are no hot showers to start your day, you would be lucky to have a water closet.
Most middle-class homes had a bowl and pitcher of water for washing up. Indoor toilets did not come on the scene until the 1880’s and even then, not everywhere due to the absents of sewer systems.
To have a bath meant water had to be carted upstairs to a tub, so more than likely a sitz bath was taken, a porcelain pot to sit in. In the 19th century, taking too many baths was believed to be unhealthy, as not much was known about germs and their transmission. 19th century medical professionals believed “the effects of a hot bath are evidently debilitating. The body loses too much in such a bath. Baths heated to above 110 degrees have lately, in several instances, been known to produce immediate insanity”.
So, you take a quick sponge bath and try not to enjoy it. A woman’s sensitive areas should not be touched as you wouldn’t want to , as they say,“self-abuse” yourself by mistake. That could cause finger warts, sterility, cancer, droopy breasts, or even insanity.
Chamber pots were common place to relieve one’s self if you did not have a privy in the back yard.
They were commonly stored under the bed or if you were wealthy, in a commode cabinet built to store them. Forget about washing your hair, in the 1840’s it was thought to be bad for you. Ammonia was used to strip hair of grease along with a layer of your scalp. Conditioning recipes included bear grease, fox grease, goose grease, burnt butter and white onions. Instead of washing, super heavy perfumes were used to mask odor in this era.
Ok it’s time to get dressed. You won’t be wearing any underwear so don’t look for it. Instead, you will slip on your chemise, which is like a summer dress.
Then pull on some wool stocking and attach them to a garter belt. Now for your drawers, 3-quarter length pant-a-loons with a slit running down the crotch seam. So, crotchless shorts! That’s right you will be hanging out in the breeze so to speak. You will have on so many layers no will know. Just don’t fall over!! Next comes the corset which was meant to create an hour glass figure popular during this era. They were meant to ‘smooth things out’. Victorians did not approve of things that jiggled! Next comes the under-petticoat, then crinoline cage, looking like a giant bird cage, to hold up your crinolines or petticoats that you will put over it to create the hoop skirt.
Women of all classes and station wore hoop skirts in mid-century America. Before the crinoline cage, many layers of petticoats were worn for fashion and modesty, they were cumbersome always getting caught in your legs. The crinoline cage relieved all of that and was actually liberating for women. One more petti coat and then put on your long sleeved, high necked dress. Wearing a lot of under garments had it purpose. The likelihood of your dress ever being washed was nil, but undergarments made of cotton or linen could easily be washed. No make up was worn. Lace up your black boots.