How did everyday life of people in their houses in Victorian and Edwardian eras look like? Just check out these amazing photos to see.
London photographer Edward Linley Sambourne captured everyday street style around the turn of the 20th century...
Name: Ridout Such a smart boater, and I love the matching tie and hat band.
It’s a truism that historical fiction reveals more about its own age it than the one it portrays. We can’t escape or even perceive our own biases, the reasoning goes, so we end up helplessly projecting them onto a past where they don’t belong. But the past is not a museum, and contemporary perspectives don’t […]
Over the years, we at PieceWork have written a lot about the delightful patterns featured in Weldon’s Practical Needlework, and we’re especially smitten by Weldon’s Victorian-era socks.
From Anna Held´s Fencing girls. Circa 1900
Often in historical costuming, we try to create an outfit with which we’ll look like we just stepped from a period painting or photo. This means sewing the clothes as worn in a certain period…
Best Period Dramas to watch. Top British, Regency, Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian era, BBC, PBS Masterpiece, historical, romantic movies TV miniseries list.
Stockholm, Paris, Moscow, Tokyo, Istanbul, London. You’ll find street style blogs for almost every major city. Amateur and professional photographers hang around outside fashion shows or just prowl…
Next time you complain about your boring desk job, be glad you're not a tosher or a leech collector.
Photograph of Adelina Patti as Martha in Martha, ca. 1862-1863. Guy Little Collection.
The love of gold. . Oil on canvas by Thomas Couture . Around 1844 Musee des Augustins, Toulouse, France. [Die Liebe des Goldes. . oel auf Leinwand von Thomas Couture . Um 1844. Musee des Augustins,...
Entrepreneurs came up with increasingly elaborate ways to part Londoners from their money, inventing many staples of the modern leisure industry
Edwardian Street Photographs || 1905-1907 || Click photos to enlarge All photographs by Edward Linley Sambourne. 1. Cromwell Road, 15th May 1907 2. 21st July 1905 3. Church Street, 2nd August...
So if you, like me, have watched some of those newfangled “modern” movies and documentaries, have read some of the books that everyone reads, and have done some Internet surfing, you…
Unintended resemblance! Cartoon from Punch 1869. Punch - the London magazine of wit, satire, irony and political humour.
“I have not read his book, but I heard him being interviewed … It sounded like there were elements he didn’t know about members of the family,” said Consuelo Vanderbilt of cousin …
The teaching profession has come a long way.
Stockholm, Paris, Moscow, Tokyo, Istanbul, London. You’ll find street style blogs for almost every major city. Amateur and professional photographers hang around outside fashion shows or just prowl…
Dash my wig, the Victorians had a lovely way with words.
Edward S. Harkness was considered the most philanthropic of New York City's millionaires having donated countless millions and buildings to various charities and institutions. He had been born to Stephen V. Harkness and his wife Anna. On Stephen's death, Edward inherited some $50 million and he decided he wanted a suitable New York City residence for him and his wife, Mary. He chose a narrow plot that had been given to him by his mother and hired his friend, architect James Gamble Rogers, to design and build him a large townhouse. Mary And Edward Harkness Were A Quiet, But Very Rich, Couple Who Gave Generously To The Poor When the home was completed in 1908, it was a masterpiece, with 6 floors above ground and a basement below, it was a beautiful Italian Renaissance model. The Beautiful Harkness Mansion, Once Completed, Became A New York City Tourist Attraction The interiors, unlike most millionaire's homes, were designed for comfort and occasional entertaining. The ground floor held the reception room, dining room, entrance hall, pantry and the ladies powder room. The second floor held the two principal rooms, the library and the music room. The third floor held guest bedrooms and bathrooms, while the fourth floor held the Harkness's private suite. The remaining floors held servant accommodations and a few guest rooms. The Entrance Hall Had A Rooster Statue In The Center The Reception Room Was The Most Elegant Room In The House And Served As A Sitting Room The Elegant Dining Room Could Seat 50 People And Had Two Service Closets On Either Sides Of The Fireplace The Beautifully Carved Staircase Ran To The Very Top Of The House, All 6 Floors And Had A Glass Dome Covering It The Staircase Had Decorative Iron Railing That Had Been Imported From Italy And Reinstalled In The Harkness Mansion The Music Room Was Used For Restrained Recitals And Also Was Occasionally Used As A Ballroom The Music Room Also Held Several Pieces Of The Harkness's Famous Art Collection And Statuary The Second Floor Gallery Also Held Several Pieces Of The Harkness's Art Collection And It Was Done In French Paneling The Library Was Used By Both Edward And Mary As A Retreat From The Uptight World Of New York City Society Mr. Harkness's Corner Of The Library Was Where He Ran His Philanthropic Empire Giving Regularly $1 million In Addition To His Other Gifts The house's many bedrooms were each designed in a different style and each had their own bathroom and dressing room. Mr. and Mrs. Harkness's private suite was like that of an apartment. They shared a bedroom and they each had their own bathroom, dressing room and Mrs. Harkness's boudoir and Mr. Harkness's private den. Mrs. Harkness's Bed And Boudoir Are Both Very Comfortable And Livable, Unlike Like Most Millionaire's Wives' Bedrooms And Boudoirs Not surprisingly, Edward Harkness was a Republican and he socialized with other prominent men such as, Stuyvesant Fish, Cornelius Vanderbilt II, William B. Astor Jr., James L. Van Alen, Arthur Curtiss James and Ogden Mills at Republican events and fundraisers. The Republican Society Men Rallied Against Fellow Society Democrats, August Belmont, John Astor III, Thomas Ryan Fortune, William C. Whitney And Hermann Oelrichs. They Helped To Raise Money To Put An End To Boss Tweed's "Tweed Ring", Which Was Shot Right In The Heart By Republican Henry Clews's "Committee Of 70", And Teamed With Their Fellow Republican Society Women Such As, Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish, Mrs. Hermann Oelrichs (She Was A Republican Despite The Fact That Her Father And Husband Were Democrats), Maude Wetmore And Mrs. Henry Clews Sr. To Help Keep New York City And Newport Republican Cities. When Anna Harkness died, she was reported to be one of the wealthiest women in the world, with a fortune of $107 million, out of which Edward inherited $93 million. Before Anna's death, she and Edward had paid two of the ten highest income taxes in the country. When Edward's brother, Charles W., died he left an estate of $60 million, out of which $36 million went to Edward. On Edward's death in 1940, he left an estate of $100 million, out of which Mary inherited life residency of all of their homes, along with some $10 million. Mary continued to live there and at their two other residences, "Eloma" in Connecticut and "Weekend" their Long Island estate. "Eloma" (Top) And "Weeekend" (Bottom) Were Quiet And Comfortable Estates, With Comfortable Interiors And Comfortable Rooms Mary continued to reside there until her death, 10 years later, upon which the home was donated to The Commonwealth Fund, which occupies it today.
Edwardian ladies cycling outfit Edwardian ladies golfing outfit. I just purchased this Edwardian Boater style hat. It's probably from the 1970's but does have the right style for my "practical" Edwardian Spring Costume Set. It has a beige cotton skirt, a white cotton blouse and a ladies vest. I still need to make a black or dark blue bow tie. The skirt and the blouse need some alterations. This blouse used to have pintucks but I never was really satisfied with how they came out. I thought it looked rather messy. So I replaced the pintucks with wide lace, that I lined with silk.
Before the invention of radio, television, video games, cell phones, the Internet, and pictures of cats with funny captions, nineteenth century people were actually forced to find their own entertainment, - like reading, for example, or holding an actual conversation with another human being. Hard to believe, I know. Here are ten weird things our
Originally the elite of New York went to the Academy of Music to attend opera, but by the 1880's The wealthy New York families that had been banded from the Academy decided they wanted an opera house of their own. Architect J. Cleaveland Candy was hired to build an opera house twice as large as the Academy and to be far more luxurious. Immediately private boxes were put up for sale but were limited. As soon as they went up for sale 25 of the nouveau riche families, such as Vanderbilt, Goelet, Morgan, Wilson, Gould and Rockefeller, bought boxes for around $15,000 each and soon after many other families followed. Academy of Music Candy was instructed to design the building to fit as many boxes as he could (there were over 250 nouveau riche who all wanted private boxes so there would need to be plenty of space) and also to include several luxuriously designed rooms. Facade Floor Plans Shortly after it was built Cartoon rendering The opening night was a lavish scene of musicians, actors and richly clad ladies and gentlemen. Christine Nilsson topped the evening off with the "Jewel Song" after which a beautiful golden casket was given to her. The wealthy spectators watched with joy as they new that they had beaten the Academy. Opening Night of The Metropolitan Opera House After that night the Academy closed it's doors and the old New York families all moved to the Met as it was called. Old New York families such as The Astors, Fish, Van Alens, Mortons, Livingstons and The Barlows bought boxes while other like Mary Mason Jones shared with others. All in all there were 122 boxes, 83 of which were occupied. A decade later renovations were done to the boxes and lush decorations were added all over the place. The first tier of boxes was where the most fashionable sat, it was called the "Diamond Horeshoe" ( Mrs. Astor always maintained that it was named that because of her famous 200 stone diamond necklace although that has never been proved ) while the second tier housed the nobodies according to society. The private boxes The auditorium was the largest room in New York and had 3,200 seats. At one end was a grand entrance while the other was the massive stage. The Auditorium The stage was designed to be able to hold the hundreds of actors that performed there it was 2 stories high and was equipped with the latest machines to help to help the act run smoothly. Diagram of the Stage Upper part of Auditorium Stair Hall Of it's many patrons, the strongest patron of the Met was Grace Wilson Vanderbilt, wife of Cornelius Vanderbilt III. Very many people agree that after Mrs. Astor died Grace took over as queen of society and one of her entertaining spots was in her private box at the Met, where she could receive prominent guests and foreign dignitaries. Grace Vanderbilt at the opera on the night before black tuesday (center middle) In 1966 After so many years of glory and triumph, the Met was demolished in 1966 14 years after it's strongest patron died. Today it is occupied by just another apartment building.
Were the Victorians more healthy than modern people? Michael Mosley investigates.
The Victorian and Edwardian eras, which saw tremendous industrialization, technological development, and social transformation, are known as the two of the most revolutionary times in British history. These two periods were a time of great cultural richness and diversity, with art, literature, and music flourishing.
The pictures challege the perception of a 'Golden Era' in British history
My birthday is on Monday so today I am in a mood of recollecting that life is short and we should live it to the full. In honor of the "life is short" bit, I have come up with a slightly depressing list (don't worry - I will post a happier one tomorrow). The Victorians
Today I am pleased to welcome romance writer, Kathleen Bittner-Roth to History Undressed. She is an up and coming romance writer who I'm eager to see in print! I've been eageraly anticipating her article today, so without further ado, I give you... A VICTORIAN LADY'S TOILETTE The Victorian Era fascinates me because so many changes took place during that time—the advancement of women's rights, the industrial revolution, electricity, telephones, medical advancements, even flush toilets (first in France, then England. They were way ahead of the U.S.). One thing that always attracts my attention is how the Victorian woman appeared so well kept. My grandmother, who had a lovely complexion, taught me to wash my face once a week with sugar to slough off dead skin (a very light scrub on a wet face, adding more pressure as it melts). She also taught me to use a facial of crushed strawberries, to occasionally rinse the hair in lemon juice to add highlights, and her list went on. I asked her where she learned her little tricks and she said her mother instructed her. A little backtracking placed my great-grandmother, born around 1854, smack in the Victorian era. My grandmother, born around 1885 reaped the benefits of her mother's teachings. Victorian women believed in lots of fresh air and exercise in the form of walking and riding, for the specific purpose of keeping the complexion fortified, from the inside as well as the outside. They believed in walking in weather that produced a fine mist or light rain without a parasol and with the face to the rain. These women were quite specific in how they cared for themselves and kept diaries filled with recipes. In one of the diaries of a Victorian noble woman I ran across, she wrote about her belief in personal care this way: "As long as we are not ethereal spirits, as long as we have to live as mortals, we should submit ourselves to our condition, doing all that is in our power to ameliorate it. And indeed cleanliness already brings us a step nearer to the angels of light while slovenliness, on the other hand, keeps us down in the depths of our original mire." Imagine your mother reciting that very thing to you as a child; or how about you reciting this to your small daughters over and over! Cleanliness, it seemed, was also a moral and spiritual issue. Beyond my grandmother's recipes, I began collecting others I found from the Victorian period. They believed in cleanliness inside and out. Lemon juice and water drunk in the morning and at night was one way of keeping the internal organs flushed and clean. The toothbrush, such as we use today, was not invented until 1938 (by DuPont), but Victorian women did clean their teeth with toothbrushes made from boars hair or horse hair (horse hair was preferred because it was softer—mostly used by the wealthy). Although one could purchase toothpowders, they were usually made at home, as were mouth rinses. Salt, although rough on the gums, was used to clean teeth on occasion, but thought to be better used on men. Marseilles soap, a delicate soap made from olive oil, sea water and ash, which had been around for 500-600 years, and still available today, was used in the mouth 2-3 times a week. You might get a chuckle out of the following recipe for a tooth cleaner: 1. Phosphate of dry chalk...2 ounces 2. Powdered myrrh...8 grains 3. Iris powder...1 ounce 4. Mix together and add: 5. Solution of cocaine...1 drop (yes, you read this right) 6. Eucalyptus oil...13 drops 7. Mix together and strain. Excellent for sensitive teeth and tender gums In their baths, Victorian women used pumice stones after a good soak and sloughed their skin with dry salt mixed with glycerin (I've paid a good price for the same type of thing at spas today). They used flowers from the lime tree in their orangeries in footbaths. Hair was washed in many things, from bicarbonate of soda to salted rainwater mixed with an infusion of colocynth. Rinses were lemon juice, herbal mixtures and even beer to bring out the luster and body. Hair was cut ¼ inch at the new moon during the first quarter. It was believed they would never have split ends, nor would the hair be robbed of any vitality using this method. My grandmother left the new moon stuff out, but was faithful to the ¼ inch a month. She possessed the most beautiful red hair, wound about on her head until she was 80 years old. Victorian women used nail polish, something that was invented by the Chinese some 2,000 years ago. They called it nail lacquer, and sorry, I don't have a recipe for that. Care of the face was a delicate matter. It meant washing in rainwater exclusively. There were those who believed in hot water only, while others believed in closing the pores with cold water One concoction that was used universally was orange flower and rosewater mixed with olive oil. Many believed that was all one needed for the face to remain soft and supple. Another recipe was equal parts of brandy and milk. I found this recipe to refresh the face: 1. wineglassful of fresh lemon-juice 2. pint of rain-water 3. five drops of rose-water 4. This should be kept corked, and used from time to time will preserve the colour of the skin. There were many ways of making rouge, the most dangerous contained lead, but by far the best were those invented by the Chinese, made from diluted beet juice. Last, but certainly of vital importance to a Victorian lady, was her lips. Here is a recipe for pomade which could usually be found in her reticule or on her dressing table: 1. Pure beeswax...2 parts 2. Olive oil...11 parts 3. Tincture of benzoin or roses...3 drops 4. Melt wax over slow flame, add oil. Mix and remove from heat. When cool enough, add perfume. Put in miniature tins, allow to set. Well, there you have it. These are only a few of the recipes I have collected from the Victorian Era, the period in which I write. What about you, do you have any old recipes you'd care to contribute? Kathleen Bittner Roth is a prepublished author who writes Historical Romance in the Victorian time period. Her website is www.kathleenbittnerroth.com
“When I was a girl, I dreamt of standing in a room looking at a girl who was and was not myself, who stood looking at another girl, who also was and was not myself. My mother took this for a nightmare. I saw it as the beginning of a career in physics.” ― Rosalind Lutece[src] Rosalind Lutece is a quantum physicist in BioShock Infinite, who wrote books about scientific studies on alternate universes. She and her "twin brother" Robert guide Booker DeWitt through his adventures in Columbia to retrie
HBO’s latest miniseries is poised to become the new most-talked-about British period drama
1. Gustave Eiffel's Swiss Villa Getaway Villa Claire, named after his daughter, was Gustave Eiffel's preferred place of rest when he wasn't building giant iron towers or attempting to engineer the Panama Canal. In Vevey, Switzerland. From a collection at Musée D'Orsay, prints for sal
Poverty makes for the most desperate of criminals. Their crimes are born of necessity—to feed, to cloth, to nurture—which can make them careless in their actions. Financiers, on the other hand, can sit and carefully discuss their plans to rob and steal with lawyers and bankers over four hour lunches in luxurious surroundings—picking their teeth, savoring wine. They are usually never careless—they have lawyers see to that—and are hardly ever caught. The poor, meanwhile, are far easier to catch. The women criminals of North Shields in Edwardian England were usually nabbed for “Larceny”—a catchall common law crime that involved “the unlawful taking of the personal property of another person or business.” This covered deeds as diverse as taking clothes from a washing line, stealing food from a table, or pinching personal belongings—jewels, money, etc. Most of the women who were brought into the police station in North Shields were charged with larceny—though some who were habitual were charged as “Thief.” In certain instances, larceny could also cover keeping a bawdy house, being drunk and disorderly or having no fixed abode. Most of the mugshots featured below are of women who have...
A couple of weeks ago the news was reporting that Westminster Council wanted to close soup kitchens to stop the homeless gathering there and...
There was a heat wave in 1906 throughout the whole of the British Isles, quite late in the year at the end of August and the early days of September. Edward Linley Sambourne went to the coast as th…
The Victorian and Edwardian eras, which saw tremendous industrialization, technological development, and social transformation, are known as the two of the most revolutionary times in British history. These two periods were a time of great cultural richness and diversity, with art, literature, and music flourishing.
Kensington and Chelsea Libraries have published several wonderful images by the late amateur photographer Edward Linley Sambourne which captures the casual side of Edwardian fashion in a manner which is rarely seen.
