Category: Victoria

Did Victorian Houses Have Dado Rails?

Dado rail is a wooden moulding seen in most Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian houses where period features have been preserved or restored. What era were dado rails? Over the Georgian period it was common to lean dining chairs up against the walls, with dado rails there to protect the décor from damage. Once the Victorian […]

Who Wrote The Woman Question The Victorian Debate About Gender?

Across the course of the 19th century, the question of women’s roles and rights was fiercely and widely debated. How should women – and particularly middle-class women – be educated?Elizabeth Barrett Browning and the Woman Question. Article written by: Simon Avery Themes: Gender and sexuality, Victorian poetry Published: 15 May 2014 Who started the woman […]

How Long Was A Victorian Season?

Historically, the ‘Season’ was a series of balls, receptions and social and sporting events which ran from May to August each year. The highlight or climax of each ‘Season’ was when daughters of the aristocracy and upper class were presented at Court to the King and Queen in London. How long did the season last […]

How Tall Were Buildings In The Victorian Era?

By the mid-1800s, buildings in large cities had reached heights of only four to five stories. While taller buildings could have been built, people were less willing to climb stairs to greater heights. When Elisha Graves Otis invented the passenger elevator in the 1850s, builders were encouraged to build higher. How tall are Victorian houses? […]

What Were Victorian Sofas Called?

settee. In Victorian England, “settee” would have been a common enough term for a bench or smallish sofa. What are vintage couches called? Many people refer to antique settees as the love seat, even though the two might be completely different pieces of furniture. It often has a high back, wooden legs, and sloped arms. […]

What Were Victorian Sofas Made Of?

Victorian furniture is characterized by ornate carvings, dark woods, and heavy luxurious fabrics. Victorian furniture is traditionally made from mahogany, rosewood, or walnut, sometimes painted or gilded. What is a Victorian couch made of? Rosewood and mahogany were favoured woods, and gold finishes were often applied to the furniture. A popular choice for the upholstery […]

Was Modernism A Reaction Against The Victorian Traditions?

2 Modernism was a reaction to Victorian culture, industrialization, urbanization, and World War I. Modernism represented a rejection of 19 th -century Victorian traditions and morality. Modernists viewed European culture as hypocritical, “corrupt, complacent, and lethargic.” What was modernism reacting against? Modernism explicitly rejected the ideology of realism and made use of the works of […]