44 Interesting Posts About The Victorian Era

The saying “The past is a foreign country” comes from the 1950s novel “The Go-Between,” which is set at the tail end of the Victorian era. It’s one of those concepts that sounds outlandish until one actually sits down and looks at the reality of life in the past.

The “Victorian Chronicles” Instagram page is dedicated to sharing interesting and illuminating posts and images about the Victorian era. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to add your own thoughts to the comments section down below.

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#1

Portrait of Frieda Baars (Sangernebo) with three cats, taken circa 1907 by Jaan Riet, Estonia.

#2

Portrait of The most celebrated Vienna Secession painter GUSTAV KLIMT ( 1862 – 1918 ) with his cat.

#3

This is 18-year-old Alice Roosevelt and her long-haired Chihuahua named Leo in 1902. She also had a pet snake named Emily Spinach who she would wrap around on one arm and take to parties. She was extremely independent and unlike many women of her time, she was known to wear trousers, drive cars, smoke cigarettes, place bets with bookies, dance on rooftops, and party all night. In a span of 15 months, she managed to attend 300 parties, 350 balls and 407 dinners..William Howard Taft banned her from the White House after Alice buried a voodoo doll (of Taft’s wife) in the front yard.
Her father, Theodore Roosevelt famously said, “I can either run the country or I can attend to Alice, but I cannot possibly do both.”
She died in 1980 at the age of 96.

One of the most compelling reasons people remain drawn to Victorian photographs is the medium’s novelty during that era. Photography was still relatively new in the Victorian period, having been invented in the 1830s, and the process of creating images was vastly different from today’s instant digital snapshots.

Early photographic techniques like daguerreotypes and later innovations required subjects to remain perfectly still for extended periods, sometimes up to several minutes. This technical limitation resulted in the characteristically serious, almost haunting expressions that define Victorian portraiture. Modern viewers find themselves mesmerized by these solemn faces, interpreting them as windows into the souls of our ancestors and projecting onto them stories of hardship, dignity, and resilience.

#4

A Japanese postcard of a ‘Bijin’ (beautiful person) with her kitten. Circa 1907.

#5

Lucy Smith and Pauline Ranken ascending Salisbury Crags, Edinburgh, wearing long, ankle-length skirts, hats, blouses and smart shoes, 1908. The only protection they had was a length of rope tied around each of their waists -no helmets, harnesses, spikes or other modern safety equipment as it wasn’t available to them at the time. They formed their own club the Scottish Climbing Club founded in 1908, after being barred from joining the men-only Scottish Mountaineering Club. By 1909 the club had fourteen members.

#6

Double-exposed photograph of French illusionist Henri Robin with a ghost⁣. Photo: Eugène Thiébault, 1863⁣.

The aesthetic qualities of Victorian photographs also contribute significantly to their lasting appeal. The monochromatic tones, the slight imperfections, and the formal compositions create an artistic quality that many contemporary viewers find more authentic and emotionally resonant than modern photography. There’s a texture and grain to these images that digital photography often lacks, giving them a tangible quality that feels more connected to physical reality. The careful staging, elaborate costumes, and attention to detail in Victorian photographs reflect a time when having one’s portrait taken was a significant, often once-in-a-lifetime event, imbuing each image with tremendous importance and careful consideration.

#7

Knife grinders in Thiers, France circa 1902. These knife grinders had the nickname of ventres jaunes or ‘yellow stomachs’ referring to the yellow dust released by the grinding wheels. By laying face down, these yellow stomachs would save their backs from being hunched over all day. Workers were encourage to bring their dogs to not only keep them company but to act as heaters to keep them warm by having the dogs lie on their legs!
This is where the phrase ‘nose to the grindstone’ originated.

#8

Portrait of Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens)with his kitty taken circa 1907, in New York: “When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade without further introduction.”
Mark Twain was a great cat lover. He did not own just one cat, at one time he owned up to 19 cats, all of whom he loved, respected and took care.
When he had to travel and leave his cats at come, he would rent cats to take the place of his left-behind pets. In Ireland, during summer 1906, Twain rented three kittens! After leaving, Twain left enough money to cover their care.

#9

Unidentified African-American family prairie settlers from the 1880s.

Beyond aesthetics, Victorian photographs serve as invaluable historical documents that satisfy our curiosity about how people actually lived during that transformative century. These images capture everything from fashion and architecture to social customs and technological innovations.

#10

Portrait of famous Danish adventurer and explorer extraordinaire Peter Freuchen with his first wife, an Inuit woman called Navarana Mequpaluk, in 1911. Navarana bore him two children, a boy named Mequsaq Avataq Igimaqssusuktoranguapaluk and a girl called Pipaluk Jette Tukuminguaq Kasaluk Palika Hager. When she died in the Spanish Flu epidemic in 1921, the local Christian church refused to allow her burial, and so Freuchen buried her himself.

#11

A girl sitting with her cat on her lap while her mother watches her from behind the door, taken early 1900s in Canada.

#12

Pepper the Cat and Louise Fazenda taking a rest during the filming of “Are Waitresses Safe?” Circa 1917. Pepper was a female Oriental Maltese cat who had starring turns in several silent comedy films produced by the Mack Sennett Studios from 1917 to 1922. Noted for her exceptionally photogenic good looks and her catty yet lovable personality, Pepper became the first true celebrity feline in film history. Louise Fazenda (June 17, 1895 – April 17, 1962] was an American film actress, appearing chiefly in silent comedy films.

We can observe the elaborate hairstyles and clothing, the design of furniture and household items, and even glimpse the social structures and class distinctions that defined Victorian society. For history enthusiasts and casual observers alike, these photographs provide concrete evidence of daily life in a way that written descriptions never quite can, making history feel immediate and real rather than abstract and distant.

#13

Victorian cat lady c 1890s.

#14

By1904, Louis Coulon was making headlines with his extraordinary 11-foot-long beard (3.35 meters), which he even used as a cozy resting spot for his beloved cats! This is an earlier portrait of him with his kitten circa 1890, in Montluçon, France.

#15

”A fine day in London” photographed by Hector Colard c.1898.

Victorian photographs, particularly those of families and children, evoke a poignant sense of mortality and the passage of time. Every person captured in these images has long since passed away, yet they live on through these frozen moments, creating a bittersweet meditation on memory and impermanence that resonates with contemporary viewers.

#16

Two British Victorian ladies making a Snow Lady, taken in January 1892, taken from “The Strand” magazine, London.

#17

Umatilla Princess Eat-No-Meat in Native Dress with Ornaments – Moorhouse – 1900.

#18

The Shambles in York, pictured in 1900, is still one of the best-preserved medieval shopping streets in Europe. It’s a narrow street of mostly timber buildings that date back as far as the 13th Century.

Social media has also played a crucial role in the renewed interest in Victorian photography. Platforms dedicated to historical images have made these photographs more accessible than ever before, allowing people worldwide to discover and share them. The mysterious and sometimes unsettling quality of Victorian portraits makes them particularly shareable online, where they often spark discussions about history, photography techniques, and the lives of the subjects depicted. This digital renaissance has introduced Victorian photography to younger generations who might never have encountered these images in traditional archives or museums.

#19

Quaint picture of unknown Victorian lass with her dog taken circa 1890s.

#20

Portrait of Sussy, 1917, Sweden.

#21

Unknown Victorian lady pulling a face for the camera.

Ultimately, Victorian photographs endure because they satisfy multiple human needs simultaneously. They feed our curiosity about the past, appeal to our aesthetic sensibilities, and provide a tangible connection to our ancestors. In an age of disposable digital images taken by the billions every day, there’s something refreshing and grounding about photographs that were created with such deliberation and care, each one a precious artifact of a moment that will never come again.

#22

A female train conductor in London 1916. With the men folk gone off to war at the front, women showed they were able to do these important jobs. When the war was over these jobs unfortunately became ‘men only’ again.

#23

Unknown Edwardian lady Circe early 1910s.

#24

Postcard of Cat on a stool playing a violin; by photographer Henry Pointer, British, 1822 – 1889, taken March 1872; Albumen silver print.

#25

Portrait by German photographer Wilhelm von Gloeden (1856–1931), entitled “Rosina Buciunì petting a black cat”. This image was published in 1909 in the “National Geographic”, p. 1094, captionedː “Happy hours in Sicily”.

#26

Lady Florence Norman, a suffragette, rides her motor-scooter to work, 1916.

#27

Daho-Mana, a young Hopi woman, 1902, Arizona.

#28

Portrait postcard of a heterochromic cat taken / produced in 1908.

#29

photoshoot of German actress Gertrude Hoffman posing in garden taken c 1900s.

#30

Biracial Family taken circa circa 1900, Tennessee, USA. He was Jim Turner, from an affluent white family in Henning, TN, and his wife Carrie Turner, a schoolteacher.
Their sons George, William, and Hardin, who became a doctor. This is a stunning portrait of a family who defied societal norms and embraced their mixed heritage with pride, showcasing that love knows no boundaries.

#31

Postcard of unknown lady with her pets taken by a Rudolph Krull, late 1890s early 1900s.

#32

Portrait of actress Betty Lindlay taken by Bassano at his studio, 25 Old Bond Street , London. Taken circa 1914.

#33

Austrian actress Mia May as the embodiment of the goddess Astarte in Part V of the silent film The Mistress of the World (1919).

#34

Amelia Van Buren with friend photographed by Thomas Eakins, late 1880s, Metropolitan Museum of Art: Photography.

#35

The original Michelin Man from 1894.⁣ The Michelin Man aka Bibendum is white because rubber tires are naturally white. It was not until 1912, that carbon chemicals were mixed into the white tires, which turned them black. The change was structural, not aesthetic. By adding carbon, tires became more durable.⁣
Michelin also began reviewing restaurants so that more people would travel further distances in their cars to eat at these restaurants. This in turn would wear down their tires faster, and force them to buy more.⁣
The star system that Michelin uses goes up to three and is broken down by whether or not it’s worth driving to the restaurant.
One star: “A very good restaurant in its category” (Une très bonne table dans sa catégorie)⁣
Two star: “Excellent cooking, worth a detour” (Table excellente, mérite un détour)⁣
Three star: “Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey” (Une des meilleures tables, vaut le voyage).

#36

Black Gate, Newcastle, England. Street scene close-up of the gateway with a woman leaning against a shop doorway.. taken circa 1880.

#37

Portrait of a young Victorian girl taken circa 1897. Picture found on website findmygrave and used as picture for death of Emma E. I. Ochsner who died aged 10, Joliet Township, Will County, Illinois, USA and buried Oakwood Cemetery.

#38

Portrait of a Street urchin found by Thomas Barnardo in Whitechapel that led to his orphanage and later a ragged school to educate the East destitute, taken circa 1890s.

#39

The cabarets DU CIEL ET DE L ENFER on the Boulevard de Clichy, Paris, France: two celebrated night spots offering a choice of entertainment, divine or diabolical Date: circa 1905.

#40

This is how Ejnar Mikkelsen, a Danish explorer, was photographed in 1912 when he was found. Ejnar was isolated with Iver Iversen, from the same expedition, for two and a half years in a hut in Greenland waiting to be rescued.
Ejnar was sent by Denmark with the mission to recover the map and diary of an earlier lost expedition that tried to prove that the Peary Channel did not exist. According to the U.S. Greenland was not a single island but was divided by the Peary Channel and therefore claimed that part of the territory as its own.
Mikkelsen’s expedition had numerous problems and delays, finally Ejnar and Iver were abandoned by the other members. Due to the lack of food they were forced to eat the dogs pulling the sledge, they suffered hallucinations chasing imaginary animals, they were attacked by bears, etc.
In the picture you can see a photograph on the wall behind Ejnar. It shows the 53 pupils of a home economics school that filled their long arctic days. The photo was so much talked about that it even led to a fight when Iversen dedicated a love song to the girl Mikkelsen had chosen as his girlfriend. Iversen had chosen 4 girlfriends in the picture, so Ejnar got angry when the other tried to take away the one he had chosen. He got so upset that for two days he didn’t speak to Iversen.
Mikkelsen returned to Denmark as a hero as he managed to retrieve the maps from the previous expedition that proved that the Peary Channel did not exist and that Greenland was therefore Danish. He also ended his photographic courtship when he met Naja Marie Heiberg Holm, daughter of another explorer, whom he married a few months later.

#41

The Gardener’s Daughter (Mary Ryan), 1870, From Julia Margaret Cameron’s “Women” series

#42

Portrait of Hattie Tom, an Apache Native American, 1899.

#43

Cléopâtre-Diane de Mérode was a French dancer of the Belle Époque. She has been referred to as the “first real celebrity icon” and the “first modern celebrity”. She was also the first woman whose photographic image, due in particular to photographers Nadar and Léopold-Émile Reutlinger, was distributed worldwide. These images were taken between 1902 and 1908.

#44

Madeleine Astor, a survivor of the Titanic disaster, holds her baby, John Jacob Astor VI, in 1912. Pregnant at the time of the tragedy, Madeleine was the young wife (18 years when they married) of John Jacob Astor IV, the wealthiest man aboard the Titanic. She was rescued on the Carpathia, while her husband perished in the sinking.

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