The Victorian Era: Author spotlight

John Ruskin, 1819- 1900

Most interesting in Ruskin's reflection of the Victorian marriage is the result of a "balanced" relationship: a "home."  Ruskin suggests, "this is the true nature of home- it is the pace of peace," as instigated by the ideal wife, "the shelter from... all terror," dependent upon the idea husband.  Ruskin celebrates the worth of the concept of "home": "so far as the anxieties of the outer life penetrate it... it ceases to be a home," and "it is a sacred place... a temple watched over by House-hold Gods."

The Victorian Era: Entertainment

The theater  was a thriving business, enjoyed by the  upper and middle classes, and in less formal situations, the lower class.  With the rate of urbanization, crowds flocked to the cities, and entertainment was a necessary objection: public houses became popular, the prostitution business rocketed, and the theater became the hottest spot for socializing.

Program for Wilde's production of "An Ideal Husband"

The Victorian Era: Victorian Vogue

Hurrah for women's fashion throughout the Victorian era!  Beauty was attributed much more to the natural curve of the human body in this era-  highlighting a slim waist and a rounder bottom was the female priority: it was feminine, sensual and defined their status in society.  Fabrics were imported from foreign lands- this was a luxury at the hand of trade with colonies.  Fashion was enjoyable: for the upper class.

Mens fashion- it's all about the neck scarf, let's face it.  The mens trouser became looser than that of the romantic period: waist coats had fewer buttons and were more fitted, and the shape of the tail coat was altered.  Colours varied, depending on class.  For the lower classes: the factory workers and such, fashion was not important.  Clothes would get dirty in the workhouse and should be light, as the work was hard and manual.

The Victorian Era: Favourite Art

William Morris

Morris was the first artist that I studied as a young first grader in primary school.  I remember that we were to copy one of his prints as closely as we could, and colour it just as carefully.  I spent forever, tracing, erasing and colouring the pattern.  All the while I remember marveling at the care it took to create something so beautiful: I never looked at wallpaper the same way.  Morris, a poet as well as an artist, was precise and accurate in his work.  I think that since that class in primary school, I have always associated Victorians with Morris' work.  His use of colour: generally darker colours, and his emphasis on rich pattern and floral design embody the nature of the upperclass Victorian, in my eyes.

Ophelia- John Everett Millais, 1851-52

What an incredible piece of art!  There are two things I love about this particular piece.  firstly, it does what the Victorians did best: it tells a story.  Naturally, it asks us to recall Ophelia's story: one of madness and suicide.  Though I think more often, I contemplate Tennyson's The Lady of Shalott when viewing this painting.  Either way, what is interesting to me is that the story itself is dramatized beautifully: it is romanticized!  Horror and ugliness (of the act of suicide itself) is instead replaced with the floral depictions of a seemingly honorable death.  What exactly does this say about Victorians?  Were they in denial?  Or just very poetic?

James A. M. Whistler- Nocturne in Black and Gold, the Falling Rocket, 1875 

I chose to feature this painting because it is just so different to things we see typically of the Victorian era in art: at least during the beginning of the era.  Art seemed to be a business: depicting a consequential person within society, recreating a scene as acurately and beautifully as possible, and sketching for political purposes.  In this painting, however, I feel like the artist is attempting to depict emotion in the painting rather than an event.  The vibrant and excessive use of colour is the artist's primary tool in captivating his audience.  There is something magical about the painting:something unusual, but all the while realistic enough to tell a story.

The Victorian Era: People of Consequence

Cecil Rhodes

An extraordinary entrepreneur, highly involved in colonialism and the drive to establish business in Africa in particular.  He was responsible for "Rhodes Across Africa"- the concept of creating a railway system that made it from Egypt to South Africa.  He claimed much land in the name of the Queen, and much in his own name: Rhodesia and the Rhode Islands are examples.  He was also actively involved in the diamond business in South Africa, and for a tim dominated the diamond market for decades.

Rudyard Kipling

The Jungle Book.  Enough Said.

Florence Nightingale

Nightingale was a breakthrough in terms of the status of influential women in history.  Rather than focusing on the usual female roles: the teacher, the governess, the wife and housekeeper; Nightingale became a beacon of inspiration in the eyes of women throughout the country.  She was a healer; one who served diligently and was respected a great deal for it.

Queen Victoria

God Bless the Queen!  Victoria, famous for her words, "We are not amused!" was certainly a hard one to please!  She was strict- almost gave Queen Elizabeth I a run for her money!  She was incredibly influential: aware and involved in the running of her country.  Involved in politics and an active participant in society.  She was devoted to her family: her husband Albert and her children.  The couple reigned as equals, at least in her sight: it was clear she valued the bonds of family.  When Albert died, Vicky went into a depression, and reigned alone as a somber widow.  She is perhaps most influential in the way that she led by example: she was a strong female leader, oriented toward encouraging education, which she pushed on women, and in her family.  I might suggest that her influence stuck mainly in the upper classes: she tended to turn a blind eye to a lot of problems involving urbanization and poverty.

Charles Darwin

Scientist and philosopher who changed the face of intellectual thought and reasoning.  His ideas were widely threatening, especially when considering the strong religious connotation of Victorian society.  Darwin argued that all species of life evolved from a common ancestor through what he called natural selection.  Huge controversy surrounded the theory: and still does today.  Darwin is a prime example of individual thought: thought that could be strongly supported considering advances in technology.

Charles Dickens

His works remain to be British Literary classics, inflicting in his literature a sense of moral understanding and philosophy that supports the existence and supremacy of God.  Dickens was a family man: dedicated to teach those around him in a manner that celebrated human relationships and the goodness in them.

The Victorian Era: In the British News

Queen Victoria's Jubilee, 1887 (and 1897)

Thomas Edison invents the Light Bulb- which meant, firstly, that many street light lighter people were out of a job.  Sad.

1825 George Stevenson builds the first railway track in England

The Berlin Conference of 1884-5

Major powers in Europe gathered together in Berlin, under the invitation of the Kaiser.  The primary objective of the conference was literally to divide up Africa.  One thing that gets me about this was the sheer idiocy of such leaders.  There are so many problems with colonialism, it is unreal.  But here are a few basic essentials that, I think, are not blatant enough to the common reader:

Firstly, European powers all fought for a piece of land on the coast:  this was, naturally, an essential part of colonialism, as foreign powers needed coast land for trade and travel purposes.  The problem with this is that it split up the land along the coast into thing strips of land that separated a single tribe that settled coastal land.  The tribe was torn apart into new "countries" wherein different languages, religions and ways of life were implemented.  

Secondly, in longer terms, the consequences of this were these:  European powers moved into an already established culture, tore it apart and enforced new customs, and when they had used the resources they could (oftentimes at the hand of great abuse and exploit), they left the land, abandoned the peoples in it, and left them with no system to fend with themselves.  Africa is still recovering!

Thirdly, the conference stood to basically enable King Leopold of Belgium private access and ownership of the Congo, or Congo Free State, as he called it.  Leopold's reign in the Congo was notorious and abusive.  Native peoples were enslaved and made to meet quotas of rubber collection: failure to meet a quota most often meant that the slave would lose a hand or family member as a cost.  The horrors of the Congo were retold in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.

The Victorian Period: On Everybody's Minds

Poverty- As a product of the Industrial revolution, urbanization led to an increased number of peoples popullating main cities in England. The immediate consequence was overcrowding, and poverty as a cost. A multiple families shared single apartments, being packed into small spaces because of low wages. It was a delicate economic state: jobs were never guaranteed; were easily lost and unreliable. Of course this is just the working class we are thinking about. upper classes enjoyed relatively spacious accomodation in the cities: usually townhouses.

Child Labor- Because of the struggling nature of economic survival in the city, children were expected to work to contribute to a family's income. In the country, mills were often packed with orphan children. very few laws were implemented to protect children in the workplace, though eventually laws were made to encourage education, under Victoria's rule, and to shorten working hours.

Nationalism - a great sense of national pride began to tear through Europe, encouraging strong pride in one's country and roots. You might say it urged colonialism in Africa, and became an apparent issue in the Berlin conference of 1884. As each small European country enforced a sense of national pride (largely through schools and the workplace), tensions rose, alliances were made and antagonism was supressed. It is easy to see how this contributed to both world wars in the twentieth century. My friends and I were discussing the amount of nationalistic songs that the USA has (a lot!), and one of them made the comment that other countries just don't have that many songs- they aren't as nationalistic these days. I think this is because the US can afford to be so nationalistic. It is a huge land area, somewhat unsurrounded be nations of equal size. In Europe, countries can sometimes border several other countries of equal size: competition and aggravation is more likely. In short, I think european countries have learned that they cannot be so nationalistic these days, considering huge historical torment and consequence.

The Battle of the Sexes: defining the ideal wife (and the ideal husband)- The "Angel in the house" theory, outlined in many pieces of literature, defined the relationship between man and woman.  The woman was expected to be as we presume the stereotype of the female ought to be: a caregiver, passive and innocent, the organizer as opposed to the provider, which is how the male is seen to be.  He must be hardened and stern, active and unemotional.  Imagine if travel time were possible.  Can you just see the social torment potential?  So many conflicting ideas!!