 The Victorian period formally begins in 1837 (the year Victoria became Queen) and ends in 1901 (the year of her death).  It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self- confidence for Britain.  The common perception of the period is the Victorians are “prudish, hypocritical, stuffy and arrow minded” (Murfin 496)

 Victorian commercial printed matter was characterized by the era’s pervasive ornamentation and careless craftsmanship. If a compositor lacked a lower-case g, for example, he would not hesitate to use an upside-down b in its place. Sometimes however, a merchant’s demand for distinctive announcements did result in truly original display faces, composed of odd, and even ingenious woodblock letters.