The period saw the British Empire grow to become the first global industrial power, producing much of the world’s coal, iron, steel and textiles. The Victorian era saw revolutionary breakthroughs in the arts and sciences, which shaped the world as we know it today.
What did the Victorian era focus on?
Historical Context. The Victorian Era, spanning the duration of Queen Victoria’s rule from 1837 – 1901, is characterized by the expanding horizons of education and literacy, as well as by an increased desire of the people to question religion and politics.
What is interesting about the Victorian era?
2) During the Victorian era, Britain expanded its territory throughout the world and became the largest, richest and most powerful empire in world history. A quarter of the world’s population lived in the empire and Queen Victoria was even Empress of India!
What defines the Victorian era?
In the strictest sense, the Victorian era covers the duration of Victoria’s reign as Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, from her accession on 20 June 1837—after the death of her uncle, William IV—until her death on 22 January 1901, after which she was succeeded by her eldest son, Edward VII.
Why is the Victorian age called the Golden Age?
To what is considered the “golden age” of England, the Victorian period brought a time of improvements in society, great achievement, and revolutionary ideas that paved the way for modern times. Like today, the Victorian society functioned on three main classes: upper class, middle class and working class.
What are the most important aspects of the Victorian era?
Important reforms included legislation on child labour, safety in mines and factories, public health, the end of slavery in the British Empire, and education (by 1880 education was compulsory for all children up to the age of 10). There was also prison reform and the establishment of the police.
What are the most important discoveries in the Victorian period?
These included the invention of safe, electric light bulbs, public flushing toilets and the phonograph (which recorded the human voice for the first time). Many of the Victorians inventions still have a big impact on the world today. For example, one of the things they invented was the camera!
What were 5 Victorian ideals?
If we ask academics to enumerate archetypically Victorian values, they might say: prudishness, thrift, individualism, responsibility, self-reliance, an entrepreneurial spirit, the idea of the self-made man, the civilising mission, evangelism to name a few.
What was life in the Victorian era like?
Men, women and children all had to live separately, so families couldn’t stay together. The food wasn’t very good, and children weren’t taught how to read and write. Everyone had to wear the same uniform, and breaking any rules would mean strict punishment. If you were rich, then life was completely different!
How is the Victorian era usually characterized?
The Victorian Age was characterised by rapid change and developments in nearly every sphere – from advances in medical, scientific and technological knowledge to changes in population growth and location.
What are two characteristics of Victorian style?
Key Elements
- Two to three stories. Victorian homes are usually large and imposing.
- Wood or stone exterior.
- Complicated, asymmetrical shape.
- Decorative trim.
- Textured wall surfaces.
- Steep, multi-faceted roof or Mansard roof.
- One-story porch.
- Towers.
What was religion like in the Victorian era?
If there was any single belief that characterized the Victorian era it was Christian belief. Religion pervaded social and political life to an extent almost unimaginable today.
What type of literature was popular in the Victorian era?
Poetry was one of the most popular genres of the Victorian period. The Romantic poets, particularly William Wordsworth (who lived through the beginning of the period, dying in 1850) were revered and widely quoted.
Are there any Victorians still alive?
Britain’s oldest person and last Victorian has died at the age of 114. Ethel Lang was believed to be the last person living in the UK who was born in the reign of Queen Victoria.
What are three inventions of the Victorian era?
10 Ingenious Inventions of the Victorian Era
- Electric lighting. Until the mid-19th century, gas lighting was increasingly popular in middle class homes.
- The telephone.
- The underground railway.
- The internal combustion engine.
- The bicycle.
- Moving pictures.
- The x-ray.
- Anaesthesia.
What two important events does the Victorian period cover?
Below are ten important moments in the period that every Anglophile should know about.
- Irish Potato Famine.
- Communist Manifesto Published.
- Great Exhibition.
- Crimean War.
- Bessemer Invents Blast Furnace.
- Big Ben Cast.
- British East India Company Transfers Control of India to Crown.
- First Transatlantic Cable.
What was the main focus of most Victorian era fashions?
The fashion of the 19th century is renowned for its corsets, bonnets, top hats, bustles and petticoats. Women’s fashion during the Victorian period was largely dominated by full skirts, which gradually moved to the back of the silhouette.
What are 10 facts about the Victorian Era?
10 Interesting facts about the Victorian Era
- Taxidermy was also huge in the Victorian Era.
- Victorians wore a lot of black.
- Freakshows were also big in the Victorian Era.
- When someone passed the family would often have a photograph taken of the body.
- Gothic novels were at their peak.
What are some Victorian traditions?
7 Victorian Traditions We Can’t Believe Existed
- Jewelry made from hair. Morning Glory Antiques & Jewelry.
- Photographing the dead. Wikimedia Commons.
- Hats made from taxidermied birds…
- …and other animals.
- A general obsession with stuffing animals.
- Divining one’s future spouse from a crackling fire.
- Attending “freak shows”
What did the Victorians fear?
In the 19th century, the British feared invasion by the French, terrorists and even aliens. Mike Ashley explains how these concerns were reflected in literature.
What were Victorians obsessed with?
The Victorians are known for their prudish and repressed behavior. But few are aware of their almost fanatical obsession with death. And no one was more fixated than the era’s namesake, Queen Victoria, ruler of England from 1837 to 1901.