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Monday, March 1, 2010
The Victorian Era
Find one interesting fact about the Victorian Era (the period during which Dickens wrote). What is interesting and/or different about this period in history?
19 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I found a few interesting facts about the Victorian Era and all of them have to do with death. One fact is that laying flowers around a coffin or on a grave came from the Victorian Era because the people wanted to mask the scent of death and the decaying body below. Another thing was that when someone lost a spouse, they were expected to mourn for at least two years, and during the grieving process, they were not allowed to engage in any form of entertainment. Widows had to wear full black outfits for one whole year of mourning, including a veil. It is interesting to see how seriously they took death back then, and to see how traditions from the Victorian Era have carried into our lives today.
One interesting fact that I found about the Victorian era was how the children were treated. They rarely saw there parents when they were young. The parents went to the children's nursery once a day, and never saw the child after that. Also, the visits only lasted for about one hour. When the children get older they have a little bit more interaction with their parents, but they never really get that much time ever. This must have a terrible effect on the children. They are not raised lovingly and are left alone a lot of the time. This tradition has changed a lot over time. Now, the parents stay with their kids until they go to college. Also, the parents spend all their time on their kids and do everything that they can for them. Now, kids always have a parent watching over them to protect and love them.
I found many interesting facts about the Victorian Era. However, only one was really interesting. Back then, people thought that food digested better in the dark. Because of this, many dining rooms were located in the basement so they were in the "best" place to eat. This is interesting because in modern times, scientists have discovered a great many things about the digestive process. So far, nothing relating to the light of the room you are eating in has any effect on digestion. This shows how many "facts" from the Victorian Era are not true or realistic.
One strange fact that I found was that one of the only times people had their picture taken was when they were dead. THis is so because not many people could afford a camera, which was extremely new back then. Having your picture taken when you're dead is strange because it is arguably the time when you look the most unpleasant. It's also strange that someone would want a picture of a person dead as the last thing to remember that person by.
A fun fact about the victorian era is thatin order to control insects, many people kept a hedgehog in the basement. The hedgehog would crawl around at night eating cockroaches and other insects, but sleep during the day. Another interesting fact is that children started working around the age of 5! This really illustrates the differences between their time and ours-we don't keep hedgehogs anymore, and there are now child labor laws to prevent children working before the age of 16.
A fun fact about the victorian era is thatin order to control insects, many people kept a hedgehog in the basement. The hedgehog would crawl around at night eating cockroaches and other insects, but sleep during the day. Another interesting fact is that children started working around the age of 5! This really illustrates the differences between their time and ours-we don't keep hedgehogs anymore, and there are now child labor laws to prevent children working before the age of 16.
Some interesting facts I found about the Victorian Era revolved around death. One thing was that since there were no funeral parlors, the dead had to be laid out in their homes, which must have been extremely difficult for their families. Also, like Evan said, since most people in those times could not have their picture taken or painted, the only pictures they have of themselves are right before or after death. There are pictures of "sleeping" children, who are actually dead. I think that this is a really unpleasant thing that they did. Why would parents want the only thing picture of their child to be when they are dead?
I found a few interesting facts about the Victorian, and most of them revolved around the idea of death. In the Victorian Era, death was considered a very huge deal, and people, widows especially, were expected to mourn for a very long time for the loss of their husband. Also, the idea of laying flowers around one's coffin, which is now a tradition everyone practices at funerals as a sign of respect, was once done simply to mask the smell of death. This was mainly because there were no funeral parlors, so the dead were left in one's home. This obviously, had the potential to smell a lot, so they put flowers around the dead. This is a practice we still do in modern times, thus showing how important some of the traditions in Victorian times are still to us now.
Child Labor was an interesting concept that occurred during the Victorian Era. During this time, there were not any child labor laws, therefore, children were not required to go to school. This lead to owners of companies and factories to find kids and make them slaves for their company. These kids would get little to no money at all, yet they did the same or more work then people do today. Children as young as the age of three would be placed in a factory, and forced to do difficult tasks that would cause them to become sick. Diseases went around in these factories due to lack of medicine because it was too expensive. This means that very sick kids would go into these factories, slave over their work, and spread those diseases. Factories were disgusting places to work, especially for young kids who should have been getting a proper education for their age.
When I was searching for interesting facts about the Victorian Era, I came across that many Christmas traditions originated from the Victorian Era. Traditions and ideas such as; kissing under the mistletoe, decorating the Christmas tree, Santa, caroling, and exchanging gifts. This was brought upon the Victorian Era because it charmed the people and it made them believe in eternal life and happiness. I found this to be interesting because the same traditions have managed to carry out after all these years, and yet, they all still continue to bring joy to everyone.
Although much of what we (apparently) know about the Victorian Era circumnavigated death, this isn't all that was interesting in that age. Abuse of all kinds was rampant during this time. For example: It was believed that legally, one's own husband was aloud to beat his wife with a stick, provided that it was no thicker than his thumb. What I found so interesting is that this is where the term 'rule of thumb' arose. When I went deeper into researching the rule of thumb, I found that it was not an official law, but just a commonly practiced belief that stood unopposed for most of the Victorian Era. It has also been recorded that derivations of the rule of thumb go as far back as 1669. The Victorian Era was an interesting crossroads of old customs and new advancements
When looking through some facts about the Victorian Era I found one that had to due with child labor and it reminded me of the fact I shared about Dickens himself. In the Victorian Era children under 14 were 13% of the factory labor force, 2600 or so in 1830s. In spite of the publicity of the horrors of child labor in factories, the reality was that most children had to work anyway. Charles Dickens himself experienced working in the factories at the age of ten, living out some of the horrors that went along with it. In today's day and age child labor doesn't exist. But back in the time of the Victorian Era it was accepted as normal and children started working as young as possible. It brought money into the household.
Although sometimes called the "second European Renaissance", the Victorian Era also saw a huge increase of poverty. Following the industrial revolution, there was a huge demand for jobs, and little need for workers. This allowed wages to plummet, working conditions to drop, and hours to increase. Due to the poverty huge slums developed in the cities and child labor became needed. Many children worked 16 hours a day in mines, factories, and even chimneys. As a result of the long hours spent in these dangerous environments, most of these kids only lived to the age of 25. Many laws were passed to try to limit child labor, however they were largely ineffective.
An interesting fact I found was that some of the first legitamate anaethests, such as chloroform, were used in medical procedures. This made painless dentistry possible. At the same time, the european diet began including more and more sugar. Also some of the first antiseptics were used. These things are now common-place in our society. It just shows how far we have come technologically speaking.
An interesting fact I found on the Victorian era was that they took pictures of people after death. Images of apparently sleeping children were actually small kids that had passed away. Since photography was so expensive, the only time pictures were taken were postmortem. It was common. Back then, death was also serious. As Erin mentioned, it was expected to mourn for a year when somebody died and one would were full black outfits. Death was a very big part of the lifestyle and it was a serious business.
One interesting fact about the Victorian Era is that they did not have funeral parlors. Instead, they put the dead inside homes on a bed. Also, there marrage was very different. They were often told to marry in the same class. If you married down a class it was looked down upon. In addition, it was illegal to marry your deceased wife's sister. Women married during this time period because they did not have many options. They needed someone to support them. Also, one you are married the women looses all control over any possessions. Lastly, if women did not follow all the rules that were set towards marrage they would ruin their reputations.
One fact that I found very interesting about the Victorian Era that towards the middle of the 19th century, was held in Hyde Park, London. I found this fact to be very interesting because I have been to Seattle, Washington, and there is located the Space Needle that they built for the World Fair there. The World Fair has always been interesting to me because they go so far back, but they were very innovative and had lots of new technology at them everywhere it is.
Child labor: children under 14 were 13% of the factory labor force, 2600 or so in 1830s. In spite of the publicity of the horrors of child labor in factories, the reality was that most children had to work anyway.
This is very different from America now, but it was also interesting because in a lot of foreign countries there is still a lot of child labor problems, which hasn't changed from the victorian era. However, in most countries child labor has changed, and their are a lot more laws and regulations against child labor.
One intresting fact about the Victorian Era is that Women made pictures, wreaths, and bouquets from their own hair or the hair of a family member to be framed and displayed in the parlor. The reason for this is probably because pictures were expensive during that time and thus people thought it would be easier to frame their hair. This is obviously very different from our era because we frame pictures, not our hair, and keep pictures of our family members.
19 comments:
I found a few interesting facts about the Victorian Era and all of them have to do with death. One fact is that laying flowers around a coffin or on a grave came from the Victorian Era because the people wanted to mask the scent of death and the decaying body below. Another thing was that when someone lost a spouse, they were expected to mourn for at least two years, and during the grieving process, they were not allowed to engage in any form of entertainment. Widows had to wear full black outfits for one whole year of mourning, including a veil. It is interesting to see how seriously they took death back then, and to see how traditions from the Victorian Era have carried into our lives today.
One interesting fact that I found about the Victorian era was how the children were treated. They rarely saw there parents when they were young. The parents went to the children's nursery once a day, and never saw the child after that. Also, the visits only lasted for about one hour. When the children get older they have a little bit more interaction with their parents, but they never really get that much time ever. This must have a terrible effect on the children. They are not raised lovingly and are left alone a lot of the time. This tradition has changed a lot over time. Now, the parents stay with their kids until they go to college. Also, the parents spend all their time on their kids and do everything that they can for them. Now, kids always have a parent watching over them to protect and love them.
I found many interesting facts about the Victorian Era. However, only one was really interesting. Back then, people thought that food digested better in the dark. Because of this, many dining rooms were located in the basement so they were in the "best" place to eat. This is interesting because in modern times, scientists have discovered a great many things about the digestive process. So far, nothing relating to the light of the room you are eating in has any effect on digestion. This shows how many "facts" from the Victorian Era are not true or realistic.
One strange fact that I found was that one of the only times people had their picture taken was when they were dead. THis is so because not many people could afford a camera, which was extremely new back then. Having your picture taken when you're dead is strange because it is arguably the time when you look the most unpleasant. It's also strange that someone would want a picture of a person dead as the last thing to remember that person by.
A fun fact about the victorian era is thatin order to control insects, many people kept a hedgehog in the basement. The hedgehog would crawl around at night eating cockroaches and other insects, but sleep during the day. Another interesting fact is that children started working around the age of 5! This really illustrates the differences between their time and ours-we don't keep hedgehogs anymore, and there are now child labor laws to prevent children working before the age of 16.
A fun fact about the victorian era is thatin order to control insects, many people kept a hedgehog in the basement. The hedgehog would crawl around at night eating cockroaches and other insects, but sleep during the day. Another interesting fact is that children started working around the age of 5! This really illustrates the differences between their time and ours-we don't keep hedgehogs anymore, and there are now child labor laws to prevent children working before the age of 16.
Some interesting facts I found about the Victorian Era revolved around death. One thing was that since there were no funeral parlors, the dead had to be laid out in their homes, which must have been extremely difficult for their families. Also, like Evan said, since most people in those times could not have their picture taken or painted, the only pictures they have of themselves are right before or after death. There are pictures of "sleeping" children, who are actually dead. I think that this is a really unpleasant thing that they did. Why would parents want the only thing picture of their child to be when they are dead?
I found a few interesting facts about the Victorian, and most of them revolved around the idea of death. In the Victorian Era, death was considered a very huge deal, and people, widows especially, were expected to mourn for a very long time for the loss of their husband. Also, the idea of laying flowers around one's coffin, which is now a tradition everyone practices at funerals as a sign of respect, was once done simply to mask the smell of death. This was mainly because there were no funeral parlors, so the dead were left in one's home. This obviously, had the potential to smell a lot, so they put flowers around the dead. This is a practice we still do in modern times, thus showing how important some of the traditions in Victorian times are still to us now.
Child Labor was an interesting concept that occurred during the Victorian Era. During this time, there were not any child labor laws, therefore, children were not required to go to school. This lead to owners of companies and factories to find kids and make them slaves for their company. These kids would get little to no money at all, yet they did the same or more work then people do today. Children as young as the age of three would be placed in a factory, and forced to do difficult tasks that would cause them to become sick.
Diseases went around in these factories due to lack of medicine because it was too expensive. This means that very sick kids would go into these factories, slave over their work, and spread those diseases. Factories were disgusting places to work, especially for young kids who should have been getting a proper education for their age.
When I was searching for interesting facts about the Victorian Era, I came across that many Christmas traditions originated from the Victorian Era. Traditions and ideas such as; kissing under the mistletoe, decorating the Christmas tree, Santa, caroling, and exchanging gifts. This was brought upon the Victorian Era because it charmed the people and it made them believe in eternal life and happiness. I found this to be interesting because the same traditions have managed to carry out after all these years, and yet, they all still continue to bring joy to everyone.
Although much of what we (apparently) know about the Victorian Era circumnavigated death, this isn't all that was interesting in that age. Abuse of all kinds was rampant during this time. For example: It was believed that legally, one's own husband was aloud to beat his wife with a stick, provided that it was no thicker than his thumb. What I found so interesting is that this is where the term 'rule of thumb' arose. When I went deeper into researching the rule of thumb, I found that it was not an official law, but just a commonly practiced belief that stood unopposed for most of the Victorian Era. It has also been recorded that derivations of the rule of thumb go as far back as 1669. The Victorian Era was an interesting crossroads of old customs and new advancements
When looking through some facts about the Victorian Era I found one that had to due with child labor and it reminded me of the fact I shared about Dickens himself. In the Victorian Era children under 14 were 13% of the factory labor force, 2600 or so in 1830s. In spite of the publicity of the horrors of child labor in factories, the reality was that most children had to work anyway. Charles Dickens himself experienced working in the factories at the age of ten, living out some of the horrors that went along with it. In today's day and age child labor doesn't exist. But back in the time of the Victorian Era it was accepted as normal and children started working as young as possible. It brought money into the household.
Although sometimes called the "second European Renaissance", the Victorian Era also saw a huge increase of poverty. Following the industrial revolution, there was a huge demand for jobs, and little need for workers. This allowed wages to plummet, working conditions to drop, and hours to increase. Due to the poverty huge slums developed in the cities and child labor became needed. Many children worked 16 hours a day in mines, factories, and even chimneys. As a result of the long hours spent in these dangerous environments, most of these kids only lived to the age of 25. Many laws were passed to try to limit child labor, however they were largely ineffective.
An interesting fact I found was that some of the first legitamate anaethests, such as chloroform, were used in medical procedures. This made painless dentistry possible. At the same time, the european diet began including more and more sugar. Also some of the first antiseptics were used. These things are now common-place in our society. It just shows how far we have come technologically speaking.
An interesting fact I found on the Victorian era was that they took pictures of people after death. Images of apparently sleeping children were actually small kids that had passed away. Since photography was so expensive, the only time pictures were taken were postmortem. It was common.
Back then, death was also serious. As Erin mentioned, it was expected to mourn for a year when somebody died and one would were full black outfits. Death was a very big part of the lifestyle and it was a serious business.
One interesting fact about the Victorian Era is that they did not have funeral parlors. Instead, they put the dead inside homes on a bed. Also, there marrage was very different. They were often told to marry in the same class. If you married down a class it was looked down upon. In addition, it was illegal to marry your deceased wife's sister. Women married during this time period because they did not have many options. They needed someone to support them. Also, one you are married the women looses all control over any possessions. Lastly, if women did not follow all the rules that were set towards marrage they would ruin their reputations.
One fact that I found very interesting about the Victorian Era that towards the middle of the 19th century, was held in Hyde Park, London. I found this fact to be very interesting because I have been to Seattle, Washington, and there is located the Space Needle that they built for the World Fair there. The World Fair has always been interesting to me because they go so far back, but they were very innovative and had lots of new technology at them everywhere it is.
I found a fact that said:
Child labor: children under 14 were 13% of the factory labor force, 2600 or so in 1830s. In spite of the publicity of the horrors of child labor in factories, the reality was that most children had to work anyway.
This is very different from America now, but it was also interesting because in a lot of foreign countries there is still a lot of child labor problems, which hasn't changed from the victorian era. However, in most countries child labor has changed, and their are a lot more laws and regulations against child labor.
One intresting fact about the Victorian Era is that Women made pictures, wreaths, and bouquets from their own hair or the hair of a family member to be framed and displayed in the parlor. The reason for this is probably because pictures were expensive during that time and thus people thought it would be easier to frame their hair. This is obviously very different from our era because we frame pictures, not our hair, and keep pictures of our family members.
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