The Victorian

Period
• Victoria became queen in 1837 at age of 18 and ruled for 68
years until her death in 1901. This record for longest reign was
broken on 9 September 2015 by the current queen, Elizabeth II.

• She took over at a time where the citizens of England really did
dislike royalty for the way things were being handled. As well,
there was simply very little respect for the throne as the
relatively new way of doing things through a democratic system
was still relatively fresh in thinking for the majority of the
country.
• The Victorian Era gets its name from Queen Victoria who
ruled England from 1837 to 1901. During this long reign of 64
years, many changes were brought about in England.
Victorian Era is known for the vast developments that took
place changing the political and economic structure of
England. Queen Victoria is often claimed to have been a very
good monarch. As noted above, coming in as monarch at a
time where there was little respect for the throne, she is
credited with bringing some respect back to it. The people of
England adored her for the majority of her reign.
 Governance
• The Victorian Government featured one of the earliest
constitutional monarchies of the world. While Queen Victoria
was viewed to have a very respectful position, in reality, she
had a limited amount of power in comparison to monarchs that
were living two centuries before her era.

• Instead of holding the responsibility of making day to day

decisions for the entire country, she was often there simply to
give advice to Parliament and the Prime Minister which was an
elected official that now made the calls on the day to day tasks.
The country was growing so rapidly that the number of jobs
just could not justify it.
 Victorian society
• Victorian society was a class based. You can see the various
nobility titles in Britain. Therefore, the middle class not only
would lose their jobs and have to find another, but they had
to compete with immigrants for work. This drove the prices
down on the wages and most poor class families struggled to
even put food on the table. The wedding day was considered
to the most important day in the life of a Victorian girl.

• The girls were from the very beginning had been taught to
marry and to take of the family. The marriage of a girl was
something very special for the mother.
 Costumes
• During the Victorian era, women’s costumes underwent a
major change. During the early Victorian era, the dressing
style resembled the Georgian age clothing style. Victorian
clothing style was linked to etiquette as well.
• The women used to wear dresses with big padded shoulders
to show off their class and poise. These dresses had a long or
a short sleeve depending upon the season.
During the Victorian period, women would completely cover
their legs by wearing black stockings. In the later years, pants
replaced the items that were used earlier.
 Architecture
• The buildings that depicted the Victorian architecture are-
Victorian Gothic buildings having arches, pointed windows;
Victorian Italianate architecture that rebelled against the
classical architecture, gaining popularity in the United States.
• The Victorian architectural period stretches from 1825-1901
and inspirations were drawn from history, nature, geometry,
personal life to make new designs. The buildings prior to the
Civil War were very simple as compared to the post-war
structures.
• The Victorian architecture is a mixture of many styles like the
Italianate, stick east-lake, Queen Anne. The Victorian
architecture was heavily criticized by the contemporary critics.
• Interiors of the house reflected the personality of the owners
or the builders and the exteriors were inspired from Italianate
or Renaissance style. From 1895-1915, the middle class had
changed its taste of the Victorian houses to more simple
looking houses. Natural wood replaced the artificial multi-
layered typical houses of the Victorian time.
7 Masterpieces of Victorian Period
(Palace of Westminster)
Osborn House
Balmoral Castle
Victoria Building, University of
Liverpool
Royal Albert
Hall
Manchester
Town Hall
Carson Mansion
 Literature and Art
• Victorian literature is a matter of study in most courses in the
English language even today. There were several popular authors
who are relevant even today. Charles Dickens, Bronte sisters,
George Eliot, Oscar Wilde, Thomas Hardy are well known
because of their work and several films based on their books.
• The literature of the Victorian age entered a new period after
the romantic revival. The literature of this era was preceded by
romanticism and was followed by modernism or realism. Hence,
it can also be called a fusion of romantic and realist style of
writing. Though the Victorian Age produced two great poets
Alfred Lord Tennyson and Robert Browning, the age is also
remarkable for the excellence of its prose.
 Inventions
• Several inventions during Victorian era changed the life of
humanity forever. Whether it was in the field of medicine,
engineering or transportation, these Victorian discoveries are
worth looking at.
• One of the most significant inventions in the area of
communication was the invention of the telegraph in 1837.
The first commercial electrical telegraph was patented in the
United Kingdom Sir William Fothergill Cooke and Charles
Wheatstone.
• The first cars appeared during this period which could be
afforded only by the wealthy class. James Starley is credited
for the invention of the bicycle. The two wheels of the bicycle
were not alike in their size, the front one was huge and the
other, small.
• The telephone, the most vibrant medium of communication
today was discovered by Alexander Graham Bell. With the
invention of the telephone, telegraphs became obsolete as
the telephone was an easier, cheaper medium of
communication that the former. The invention of the
telephone was one of the most powerful creations of the
Victorian period.
 Bibliography
• http://www.victorian-era.org/
• http://
historylists.org/architecture/10-masterpieces-of-victorian-archi
tecture.html