From 1870 until 1914 continued aggressive expansion (including Britain’s participation in the so-called Scramble for Africa) was assisted by new technologies, including railways and telegraphy. These acts reduced the hours that might be worked, imposed safety regulations and laid down basic requirements relating to working conditions. At the same time the labour force organised itself for its own protection, through the Trade Unions which grew in status and strength from the 1850 onwards. The Impact of History on Victorian Literature Victorian England was a battleground of opposing ideas. . Servants were essential ingredients in the new domesticity enjoyed by the middle and upper classes and jobs in service were desirable. [Review of] Thomas R. C. Gibson-Brydon's The Moral Mapping of Victorian and Edwardian London: Charles Booth, Christian Charity, and the Poor-but-Respectable The Evangelicals' Positive Influence on English Society Learn More. Although leisure was a novelty for most, increasing numbers of Victorians found opportunities that their predecessors could not have had to enjoy themselves. British jobs abroad included civil and military service, missionary work, and infrastructure development. The Victorian Military Society (VMS) was founded in 1974 to foster interest in military aspects of the Victorian period, later extended to 1914 so as to include the campaigns of the early part of the twentieth century. They may write such things — [Humpty Dumpty's rhyme] — in a book. Men were physically strong, while women were weak. While the 1840s were a bad time for workers and the poor—they were dubbed “the hungry forties”—overall the trend was toward a less precarious life. In fashion, the Victorian era is an elaborate display of class, wealth, beauty, and purpose for women and men. The Vaile Victorian Society was established in 1983. Welcome and thank you for visiting The Victorian Historian, a unique insight into the obscure history of America’s 19th and early 20th century. Victorian performance and print culture were rich and varied, a blend of melodrama, spectacle, and morality. Yet, overall, standards of living were rising. She and her husband,... Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. Of course, some decades were times of plenty, others of want. The Victorian Era Fashion history, and costume history spanning 1837 to 1901. Local politics were also important. Family life, epitomised by the young Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their nine children, was enthusiastically idealised. Everett Chronology. By the 1870s seaside resorts were sprouting all around the coasts, attracting day-trippers as well as holidaymakers and the Victorian seaside, epitomised by bandstands, street photographers, donkey rides, piers and Punch and Judy stalls, became an institution. Since our founding in 1966, the Victorian Society has been a leader in the appreciation, education, and preservation of our country’s extraordinary heritage. Industrialisation brought about rapid changes in everyday life that affected all classes and as a consequence Victorian society was full of extremes and startling contrasts. The less strenuous pleasures of town life also flourished. Show all articles. There was significant migration to the settler colonies of Australia and New Zealand and later to Canada and South Africa. For men sex was central, and for women reproduction was central. y 1851 as much as one third of the population lived in concentrations of 20,000 or more. It also controlled a large empire, and it was wealthy, in part because of its degree of industrialization and its imperial holdings and in spite of the fact that three-fourths or more of its population was working-class. 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