Victorian Times
1839-1901
Contents
(New 8/27/06)
(New 8/27/06)
Queen Victoria is one of the most well-known figures of English Royalty. Her name was used to define an era of culture, fashion, attitude, standards, and history as she oversaw a vast empire that prospered in many areas.
Victoria became queen in 1837 at the young age of 18 and reigned until her death in 1901. Her reign was the longest in British history - 64 years.
She married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1840. Their relationship grew from a schoolgirl crush on Victoria's side and disdain for political marriage on Albert's side to a mutual respect and adoring love for one another. They had nine children - Victoria, Bertie, Alice, Alfred, Helena, Louise, Arthur, Leopold and Beatrice.
Although many equate Queen Victoria with high morals and borderline prudery, it was Prince Albert who actually help reclaim the integrity of the throne by his own high norms and standards.
For more information on Queen Victoria please visit: Queen Victoria
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was the son of King William IV. Although his own father disapproved of the marriage, Albert's (and Victoria's) Uncle King Leopold I of Belgium was highly enthusiastic of their union.
Albert married Victoria with great trepidation knowing the difficulty of being married to a woman who had a higher royal rank and political power than himself. However, Albert developed a wonderful appreciation and love for Victoria throughout their 21 years of marriage. Prince Albert was eventually given the title of The Prince Consort and is the only husband of an English queen to carry this title.
Culture and social improvement was very important to Albert and eventually led him to design and implement the Great Exhibit of 1851. It was one of his greatest achievements.
Prince Albert died in 1861 of typhoid fever.
For more information on Prince Albert please visit: Prince Albert
That Queen Victoria was against women's suffrage.
Queen Victoria was the first royal to ride in a railway train.
Queen Victoria was the first Empress of India.
The idea and implementation of the Crystal Palace was completely Prince Albert's idea.
Prince Albert was more responsible for bringing morality and dignity to the royal family in the early years of his marriage with Victoria, than she was.
Queen Victoria's first act as the new Queen was to remove her bed from her mother's room. (She had never slept apart from her mother from the time she was an infant.)
Queen Victoria's white wedding dress inspired brides wearing white as a tradition.
Prince Albert brought the tradition of a Christmas tree to England from his native Germany.
Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and five of their children.
Bronte Sisters
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Oscar Wilde
Robert Louis Stevenson
Lord Alfred Tennyson
Elizabeth Barrett-Browning
Robert Browning
Wilkie Collins
Sigmund Freud
Thomas Edison
I have read many books about the royal couple and highly recommend the following:
Queen Victoria in her Letters and Journals, Published by Penguin books in the Lives and Letters series
Victoria: An Intimate Biography by Stanley Weintraub
Uncrowned King, the Life of Prince Albert by Stanley Weintraub
Persons of Consequence: Queen Victoria and Her Circle, by Louis Auchincloss
Queen Victoria: A Personal History, by Christopher Hibbert
Also, the made-for-tv movie, Victoria and Albert, by A&E is an excellent dramatization of Victoria and Albert's personal relationship.
I have always been fascinated by the love that bound Queen Victoria and Prince Albert together. Although it appeared the odds were against them in so many ways, they were able to rise above their political and royal obligations and have a great love and respect for each other. Seldom is that seen in the royal ranks.
Victoria and Albert dancing.
Lots of layers and lots of fabric: the two most descriptive phrases for Victorian Era fashions.
I know many who have enjoy the romantic appeal of the yards of satin and crinoline rustling as a lady walked. The beautiful colors and elegance of the dresses present such a lovely picture.
The fashions of this time period actually are divided into two spans early-Victorian (1837-1859) and Late-Victorian (1860-1901).
Did you know that the Civil War times of America are also part of the Victorian Era? The American versions of these fashions were simplified a degree from the European look, but they still have the same basic details. When you have a chance, compare a Southern Belle’s ball gown with a Victorian Lady’s dinner dress!
For more information on Victorian Era fashion:
Books:
Authentic Victorian Fashion Patterns: Complete Lady's Wardrobe by
Kristina Harris
Victorian and Edwardian Fashion: A Photographic Survey by Alison
Gernsheim