Author: Muriel Schmidt

Six pounds was the weight of a dress of velvet and cloth; a silk dress weighed three and a half pounds, a plush five and a quarter pounds, and a dress of ladies’ cloth on a cloth skirt five pounds three ounces. Dresses of ladies’ cloth are very generally worn, and, with fur trimmings, are […]

Ladies’ Victorian gloves were an essential part of life in the 1840s to 1900 Victorian era. Gloves evened the classes, covering up the rough hands of a working-class or showing off wealth with a fine silk pair for the upper classes. Both ladies and gentlemen would feel naked without a fine pair of gloves. Did […]

Design of the state flag In the background area there are five white stars representing the Southern Cross. Above the stars is a St Edward’s Crown. The stars don’t have an identical number of points. The variation in the number of points represents their relative brightness in the constellation. Why does the Victorian flag have […]

The Victorian era was a time of change during the reign of Queen Victoria between 1837 to 1901. The Modern Literature era also known as the Twentieth Century and After increased popularity in literature due to the rise of industrialization and globalization from roughly about the 1910 ‘s to the 1990 ‘s. What is the […]

Look for Jewelry Stamps. Jewelry stamps or hallmarks on the piece often help determine an item’s origins, or even the year it was made. Some manufacturers were in operation up until a specific year, and other manufacturers change their company hallmark over time. How can you tell if jewelry is Victorian? Victorian jewelry is often […]

Lady’s Maid and Valet They were hired by the Lady and Master of the house rather than by the butler, housekeeper or house steward. Typical salaries were £20-30 (£1000-£1800) per year. How many hours did Victorian maids work? Servants worked from 15 to 18 hours a day, with only half a day off per week. […]

Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany. Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, was the fourth son of Queen Victoria. He was born in London on April 7, 1853. According to Leopold’s biographer Charlotte Zeepvat, he was first diagnosed with hemophilia in 1858 or 1859. From a very young age, Leopold began to exhibit symptoms of the disease. […]

At the start of the Victorian era, very few children actually attended school. Children from rich families would be educated at home by a governess (a female teacher). At the age of ten, boys would go to public schools, such as Eton or Harrow, and girls would continue their education at home. How did education […]

The Victorian era saw revolutionary breakthroughs in the arts and sciences, which shaped the world as we know it today. These transformations led to many social changes with the birth and spread of political movements, most notably socialism, liberalism and organised feminism. What changes in the Victorian era? Social reforms Important reforms included legislation on […]

Melbourne is in the southeastern part of mainland Australia, within the state of Victoria. Is Melbourne a part of Victoria? Also known as Greater Melbourne, metropolitan Melbourne is the geographical area that defines Melbourne as a city and the capital of the state of Victoria. Spanning over 9990 km2 metropolitan Melbourne is home to 4.9 […]