Canadian Society in the Mid-19th Century The Reign of Queen Victoria

Victorian Attitudes and Values Queen Victoria reigned from 1837-1901 Her tastes, values, and behaviour set the standard for everyone Most Canadians adopted Victorian values Even Americans adopted Victorian values

Victorian Attitudes and Values The Victorians had “attitude;” they were sure of themselves. They had few doubts about their values and beliefs Victorian society was distinctly Christian They placed a high value on personal modesty and on “gravity”

Victorian Attitudes and Values Victorian values included a strict moral code and an obsession with social status Occupation and social standing was determined by family background and social connections They were also materialistic The Victorian era was not grim, but very optimistic British Empire grew larger and stronger New discoveries in medicine, science, and technology

Fashion and Decor Keeping up appearance was very important Clothing indicated social status and Victorian values Women wore long dresses and aprons Men wore hats and ties A tan was a sign that person worked outdoors and was lower class

Fashion and Decor Houses of the rich were large and substantial Indication of importance Large houses were also necessary because large families were common Victorians loved decorated furniture, heavy curtains, and knick-knacks The poor lived in small houses in the poorer sections of town

The New Age of Science After 1860 science and technology dominated and shaped the Western world People in the cities were more aware of was happening than those who lived in isolated communities Scientists debated the origin of disease – did not understand the cause Exciting medical discoveries were regularly featured in the news Aspirin, antibiotics, x-rays, vitamins, hormones

The New Age of Science People hoped science would find cures for many serious and deadly diseases Cholera, smallpox, typhoid fever, influenza, tuberculosis Little was known about disease or hygiene Prior to the discovery of germs and antiseptics, doctors often infected patients during operations

Leisure and Travel People liked to be entertained City: Parties, concerts, fairs, circuses Country: quilting bees, weddings, barn raisings Books and magazines were popular Sports achieved a new popularity Swimming, bear-baiting, dog- and-bull fighting, bare- knuckle boxing

Parlour Games No television, radio, videos, recorded music People had to entertain themselves Made music, held dances, played parlour games and cards Whist, checkers and chess

Getting Around Leisure travel became very popular People with money to spare travelled to Europe or America Introduction of steamships, steam locomotives (trains) Helped to build infrastructure

The Rise of Newspapers In the mid-19th century every city and most small towns had one or more newspaper The Halifax Gazette was Canada’s first newspaper (1752) Rise of daily newspapers, called “dailies”