Victorian Period 99 years without major war, Waterloo to WWI Industrial Revolution continues with: New Products, Faster production, Better goods, More jobs People born poor could work hard and get rich quick Middle class gains political power

Queen Victoria

II. Clean up the place Recognized the filth they lived in and they changed it Pave & name streets, number houses, drain away sewage/blood etc., lights at night and organized a better police force. Plan cities so that slums/wealthy areas don’t co-exist Educate everyone

III. Depression Millions out of work Irish potato famine-crop blighted A. One million people die B. 20% emigrate to England or U.S. C. English slums swell-12 people to a room with only 2 toilets for 250 people!

V. Reforms Begin Life improved for all classes Goods cheaper for everyone because of factories and trade Reform to improve housing conditions Camera and War Correspondent invented Right to vote extended further and further but not to all women until 1928

Children laboring in a textile factory in Victorian times.

Girls in textile factory

VI. Factory Acts The hours children could work was limited to 10. Children received half of the day on Saturday off, and the entire day on Sunday off.

VII. Education % of couples signing marriage licenses couldn’t sign own name 1870 State supported schools 1880 Mandatory school By % were now literate

VIII. Moral Victorians Progress means we’re morally superior! 1. Censored literature- all things must be moral w/out sex, corruption. 2. Male authority still the norm 3. A woman’s job was to create a nice home for her hardworking husband.

Moral Victorians cont. 4. Many unmarried women were called “redundant women.” This means unmarried women were considered unnecessary. 5. Many men were waiting to earn a lot of money before marrying. This means there were many women waiting to be married.

IX. Intellectual Progress Science makes progress 1. Darwin – Origin of Species 2. Industrial revolution now depends upon scientific advances Science offers rational explanations instead of religions spiritual revelations Before-people believed and tried for ideal human comfort- (their goal) Comfort = Happiness During the Victorian Era, people questioned the meaning of “true happiness.”

Exploitation of the earth- resources-pollutions Does comfort equal happiness, or is it something else? Bronte, Dickens and Austen address this issue.

FUN FACTS -Many men used macassar oil to slick back their hair. Crocheted doilies, called antimacassars, were put over the backs of chairs to keep this grease from staining the furniture. -For a lady to show her ankles was considered very risque! -To control insects, many people kept a HEDGEHOG in the basement. It curled up and slept in the day, but roamed around the dark kitchen at night eating cockroaches and other insects.

-Children rarely saw their parents. A special trip was made to the nursery each evening, and the visit lasted about an hour. -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. -Some rocking chairs were designed to disguise a chamber pot. People had to be careful not to rock too quickly!

When a woman entered a room, it was considered rude for a man to offer his seat to her because the cushion might still be warm. People thought food digested better in the dark, so a dining room located in the basement was considered the best spot in which to eat.

A glance into a bedroom was considered improper if viewed by a visitor, so bedrooms were located on the second floor. People were shy about having water closets, so they disguised fixtures as dressers and cabinets. Tubs were enclosed in wooden boxes that resembled large chests. People went to great lengths to hide toilets from view. In some homes, they were behind a curtain or screen, or even in a room of their own.

The End