Victoria(n) The Period and The Person

2. Victoria(n) The Period and The Person • The Victorian Period—1833 – 1901 • Named for Queen Victoria • Reign: 1837-1901 • She was seen as modest, intelligent, and ultimately respectable; this “respectability” became the mode of the era • 1840: married her cousin, Albert, who became her Prince Consort. • His death, in 1861, plunged Queen Victoria into a deep state of mourning which she maintained for the remainder of her life

3. A Time of Peace, Prosperity, and Pollution • From 1815 – 1914, England is not involved in any major European wars; therefore, stability allows opportunity for the country to focus on itself and its growth • Continued growth with the Industrial Revolution • New jobs • New goods • New wealth for thousands moving up to and through the middle class • The empire expanded; at one point in her reign, Queen Victoria had over 200 million subjects outside of Great Britain

5. Prosperity continued • 1851 Great Exposition (which was organized by Prince Albert) was held in the Crystal Palace. • Built with iron girders and over one million feet of glass panels • Exhibited marvels, inventions, and products from countries across the globe

6. Pollution Continued • A result of the growth of industry: • Pollution poured from smoke stacks • People heated their homes with coal • Trains and ships ran on coal and steam (producing heat and filth) • Gas lamps lined the streets and the smell of the escaping gas added to the already gritty, choking air • The Thames river was polluted with the waste from factories AS WELL AS the sewage that ran down the streets as systems could not keep up with the increase in the population growth (YIKES!)

8. Changes and Reforms • The Right to Vote • 1832: 1st Reform Bill: vote extended to men who own land worth more than £10. • 1867: 2nd Reform Act: vote extended to male industrial workers (agricultural workers were still excluded)

9. Changes and Reforms, continued • Women and Children • 1839: Custody Act: allows divorced women legal access to their children • 1847: 10 Hours Act: limits the number of hours women and children can work in factories and mines *(and half days on Saturdays!) • 1882: Married Women’s Property Act: allows wives possession of property held before and after marriage

10. Changes and Reforms, continued • Education • 1870: State-supported schools established (some tuition is still attached) • 1880: Compulsory education is mandated • 1891: Compulsory education is made free • The result of education: • In 1859, 40% of the couples getting married could not sign their name. • By 1900, using this simple definition of literacy, 90% of the population was literate

11. The Minds and Morality of the Middle Class • Decorum and Authority • Victorians thought of themselves as progressing materially, intellectually, and morally. • As the middle class grew and became wealthier, they became obsessed with gentility or decorum; it made prudery nearly synonymous with Victorianism • Books, magazines, pamphlets were all excerpted, modified, and censored to protect delicate minds and moralities

12. Authority continued • The Roles of Middle-Class Women • Women were subject to male authority • These women could marry and work to create a respectable home OR • If unmarried, they could find work as a governess OR • If unmarried, they could find work as a teacher • Unmarried women were often considered “redundant women”!

13. Intellectual Strides • Geology: scientists worked out history written in rocks and fossils • Industry: advances are made in chemistry, forging of iron, creations in textiles, and engineering • Biology: Charles Darwin (and other biologists) theorized about the role of evolution