...Just as bustles first came into vogue, older ladies were astounded and scandalized by such a fashion. They felt that the swaying of the posterior would be too provocative and that the slimmer skirt showed too much of their figure. Even though for almost 65 years, the stiffness of clothes that the Victorians wore may not have shifted, the idea of beauty changed drastically in this era. From the silhouette to the colours highlighted by the accessories, they all changed a lot. This innovation effects and inspire our designs for many of our clothes today. 1837 signalled in a new silhouette different from the old bulky style of dress. Suddenly, the clumpy sleeves were slimmer and a boned bodice was worn to emphasize their curves. Every woman...
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...Have you ever wondered about the Victorian england era? If not these facts will surely get you interested. During the Victorian era many things were different then from today. This includes classes of people, food, sports, and clothes. First of all, the classes of the Victorian era were different from today there was no middle class, upper class, and lower class. The class went more like unemployed, employed poors, gentleman, and upper class. The classes gentleman and upper class were treated like kings while unemployed and low wage employed men were treated like garbage. Unemployed people were able to pick to live in a Work Home or on the street. People in work homes were split up from their wife and children, but the children could see...
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...While Queen Victoria was in power England saw rapid change in medical, scientific and technological fields. Throughout the mid Victorian era, (1850-1870), Britain was in its golden years. While growth in textiles, trade and machinery put twice as much money in British Merchants pockets a new order began to form. The first World’s Fair in 1851 marked the first stepping stone for modern technologies and the middle class. Families began to fall into a cultural norm, the idea that an individual, through hard work, could achieve economic success was in the front of men and women's minds. Gender roles established by a hard scrabble life in the past made a separation between men and women where men were superior to most women, women could work in...
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...The Roaring Twenties It was the Bee’s Knees to feel the Heebie-Jeebies while living young and free as a sensual Dumb Dora through the radical Roaring Twenties, an era that was absolutely unforgettable in American history! Organized doctrines advocating political, social, and all other rights of women equivalent to those of men, made the ideas of feminism possible. This was a new term that came about during the Progressive Era, a term that caused women to express their self-worth by capturing the world by it’s tail and launching a revolutionary era that lasted three decades; as Frances Willard said, “a wider freedom is coming to the women of America” (Textbook)… Within the first few years of the 1920s, the new culture that the generation had created was already set into motion. The youth no longer had the desire to act or dress like the older generation, they wanted something different. Through the fashion, entertainment and beauty industries women worked up the courage to reject the stuffy ways of the Victorianism lifestyle, and simply transition to a more advanced wild life of the conspicuous Flappers. In the late eighteenth century, the Victorian era was a widely known style that was commonly related to morals and structures based off of Christianity. Family and economic life for women was outrageously boring; a typical day for a woman would look like cleaning, gardening, plus taking care and cooking for her household. Women weren’t allowed to have real jobs...
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...Regardless of these obstacles and her father’s disapproval of her career choice, she continued to pursue art and painting. Cassatt, an impressionist painter, did not conform to standard male images of women and therefore her paintings differ from the more general male representations, especially of women readers during the Victorian period. Cassatt expresses her world through women and therefore “…offers a new vision of the unconsidered facts of everyday bourgeois life…” (Yeh, 1976:359). Cassatt’s work is regarded by Yeh (1976:359) as women-centred art as she regards women as complete within themselves. In her work she represents women as independent, pursuing interests which are not necessarily directed toward the need of her family. Reading women, portraying the reader’s inner strength often occur as a theme in her paintings. Femininity in the Victorian era In the latter Victorian period women artists and their work were considered inferior. In an attempt to overcome the stereotypical female image their work became increasingly more vocal and confident and promoted the emerging image of the educated, modern and free women. Femininity in the Victorian era was generally thought to be connected with both maternal and wifely functions in a family. Women were expected to devote themselves to their husbands and to provide a comforting shelter to their families and children from the exterior...
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...Model Millionaire by Oscar Wilde Oscar Wilde’s short story A Model Millionaire was published in 1887 during the Victorian era (1830-1900). The short story tells us about Hughie Erskine, the happy-go-lucky protagonist who is a poor young man with no profession that gets by on life on a yearly allowance by his aunt. Hughie is in love with Laura and wants to marry her, but her father the colonel will have none of that until Hughie can present a sum of 10,000 pounds. Hughie is friends with Alan Revor an artist who is in the process of painting a portrait of a beggar who turns out to be the millionaire Baron Haisberg. Erskine feels compassion for the beggar not knowing that he is a millionaire and shows his compassion for this beggar by given him his last soverign. The beggar aka Haisberg finds this deed so admirable that he gives him a gift of 10,000 pounds that he needs to marry Laura. During the Victorian era when this short story was written much focus was on the disparity between rich and poor partly caused by the industrial revolution. This short story deals with that issue in a somewhat lighter tone and centers on the materialistic impact on life. If you do not have success materially you will also fail in love or marriage as it seems to be required that you posses money in order to obtain marriage. However, in the end the theme of morality often seen in Victorian literature seems to show us that human values will overpower the strength of material wealth. The short story also...
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...Fashion: Style in The Jazz Age 1920s fashion was the perfect blend between style and function. Beautiful clothes that allowed women to move. Even 90 years after The Roaring Twenties ended, almost everyone still recognizes the style: * Cloche Hats * Flapper Dresses * Famous Fashion Designers * Elegant Art Deco Inspired Evening Wear * High Heeled Shoes * Simple Costume & More Complex Jewelry * Men's Fashion (suits and sportswear) * Art Deco Fashion Louise Brooks Wearing the Top Fashion of the 1920s History of 1920s Fashion Fashion is shaped and influenced by the society and events which surround it. Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening. -Coco Chanel 1920s fashion is still famous because it was a huge shift from the previous era. Society changed quickly after World War 1: customs, technology, manufacturing all rocketed into the 20th century. Society was speeding up, airplanes were taking people across the country in a matter of hours rather than a matter of weeks, automobiles could travel between several states in an evening. Young Women Dressed in Typical '20s Fashion 1920s fashion reflects society's rapid movement and change. No longer were women willing to trade their mobility for the old stodgy customs of the Victorian era. Old-fashioned torture devices like the corset and the crinoline no longer served a purpose for young women...
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...Dickens was born in the year 1817, Victorian Era Mid 19th century till to beginning of 20th century, Hard Times published on 1854, Schools become mandatory in 1889. _____________________________________________________________________ OUR TALK WILL BE DIVIDED INTO 4 PARTS: INTRODUCTION OF VICTORIAN ERA The Victorian era of British history: was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death, on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence for Britain, where during that time, the British Empire has existed for centuries and was able to maintain a world order which rarely threatened Britain’s wider strategic interests. By the end of Queen Victoria’s reign, The British empire extended over about one-fifth of the earth’s surface and at least a quarter of the world’s population. One of the ways they achieved such a thing is through the Industrial Revolution. What is the Industrial Revolution exactly? Prior to the Industrial Revolution, a working person would be lucky to have 1 or 2 shirts. To make fabric, these people had to spend their whole lives weaving this shirt and as demand for british goods increased, they needed a way to speed up things in a way without affecting it economically. As a result, they came up with the idea of factories where workers would repeat the same thing over and over again. So I want you to think like a business man in the victorian era right now. What would make sense...
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...need a new role model and icon for nursing because Nightingale changed the nursing profession for the better and that should never be forgotten. Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820 in Florence, Italy; thereby being named after the city where she was born. Her family was from England, and lived during the Victorian era. While touring Europe on their two-year long honeymoon, Nightingale was born. Her parents William Edward Nightingale and Frances Smith Nightingale were a very wealthy couple. Nightingale had a sister named Parthenope who was about a year older (Davis, 1999). William Nightingale was well educated, at Cambridge University in England and he taught his daughters at home. William Nightingale taught his daughters to speak Italian, Latin, and, Greek. He also taught them history, philosophy, and math; math was one of Florence's favorite subjects to study (Audian, 1999). Florence's father gave her the education equivalent to an upper class boy during her era. Parthenope rejected her education and joined her mother in domestic activities, whereas Florence loved learning. William Nightingale was Florence's main companion; Florence found the life of a Victorian lady boring and depressing (Holliday & Parker, 1997). At about the age of sixteen Nightingale received what she called "her calling." She...
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...New relationships were formed during the Victorian Era. People moved from the country to the city thus causing a new social culture called the middle class. Women in the art world were not allowed to attend or be a part of the professional school of art during this time. Women did challenge this unfairness though and formed their own art organizations. They were known to play the role of a homemaker and this was expected of them. In G. B. O’Neill‘s painting, “Public Opinion” The people appear middle class with no fancy clothes or shabby clothes but simple. This picture suggests people gathered together to express their ideas and thoughts by studying this piece of art. There is about the same number of men and women in this artwork maybe to confer that men and women are becoming equal during this era. G. E. Hick’s three paintings illustrate the three stages in a women’s life. All of them explain the visions of the women’s part in the home. Her first character is being a mother to her child guiding the child through the path of life. The second sight is a wife being supportive of her husband and the third is the daughter taking care of an elderly one. Her concern in all these paintings are for someone else besides herself contrary to the painting “An afternoon in the Nursery”. In this particular piece the woman is fixed on herself, by being engross with her reading. The children are playing among themselves with no attention on them. The open window with the...
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...Twist brought home the harsh realities of life in the workhouse The young woman at the workhouse gate was desperate. Clutching her belly, she begged to be allowed inside. She had nowhere else to go. The workhouse — for all the stories of cruelty that went on within its walls — was her only hope. She desperately needed shelter, for she was about to give birth. But the gatekeeper was inexorable: he had his orders. Babies were expensive. They required feeding, clothing and supervising and it would be at least six years before they could earn their keep, either in the workhouse or in factories, mills or up chimneys. The workhouse authorities had a duty to care for mothers in such a desperate plight. They were paid by the parish to house and clothe the wretched men, women and children who came to their doors as a last resort. For few would reside in the workhouse by choice. The conditions made prison seem comfortable in comparison. But the Beadle — the supervisor of the workhouse — cared less for the law than for his own pockets. He could make a small profit from able-bodied adults and children by setting them to work outside the workhouse, while he siphoned off some of the money that was supposed to feed them. Babies, on the other hand, were not profitable. The workhouse gate clanged shut. It was a bitterly cold day and a harsh wind was whistling up Cleveland Street, in the Georgian suburbs of North London. A crowd began to gather as the young woman went into labour on the pavement...
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...enter the shop, All Saints have set their tone. Headless mannequins hang on chains, enclosed by dark grey walls; the window display at the front of the shop is bleak yet the simple nature portrays the beauty of the garments. The surrounding windows are tinted, therefore you can see out but not in; this gives the shop an exclusive feeling, contributing to the individual style of the clothes and the high price tags. The building is the main feature of All Saints which sets it apart from other high street shops; it’s a converted bank, however it’s been renovated to look and feel like a church, this view is gained from entry as you step through the huge wooden doors. The ceilings are high, the arches, pillars and cornices are incredible, the tiled floor is amazing, and the centre of the store has a beautiful round ceiling mural with a balcony surrounding and a trio of gold, goblet type ornaments. The shop is very gothic in style and having every wall painted a dark grey colour contributes the styling of the clothes and the mood the shop puts you in; it’s like a fantasy world where the Victorian era meets modern Soho or downtown New York. Lighting in the store consists of spotlights on the ceiling pointing down at each fixture or display of clothing; this provides great contrast to the blandness of the colours and also highlights the garments beauty. The spotlights also contribute to the exclusive, almost celebrity feeling as they transform the store into a kind of set, depicting...
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...Woman in Black. Hill uses onomatopoeia to create mood and atmosphere; Kipps hears the “slight rustle” which repeated throughout the novel becomes associated with the approach or departure of ghost of Jennet Humfrye. Using words like rustle (onomatopoeia) is literary device ideal for Hill as using such vivid language appeals to the five senses. The sound suggests the movement of fabric, crucially the movement of the apparition’s clothes, however rustle implies an element of subtlety, hence the apparition is slight and not obvious, and for Kipps to hear this sound also presents the silence of the church during the funeral’s procession, also adding to the ominousness of the atmosphere. When Hill uses the word rustle, the word itself sounds like the sound it’s describing this way Hill is making her text realistic, almost audible, imagistic and tangible. Hill also uses symbolism, to create a sinister atmosphere. Upon this first sighting the Woman in Black is described as having a “Bonnet shaded her face,” women wearing bonnets is typically Victorian, the novel is set at the turn of the 20th century so the bonnet consequently symbolises the ghost as unfashionable. Hill uses this bonnet to hide Jennet Humfrye’s expression and emotions, the hiding of her...
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... | Discuss any two fictional texts studied in the light of fin de siècle theories of degeneration. The era of the Victorian fin de siècle ‘…from the 1880s to the end of the century…generated an enormous amount of scientific and cultural debate concerning the future civilisation and the human race itself.’[1] It was an era of technical progress, Imperial gain, and a nation at the pinnacle of progress. ‘…bolstered by Darwin’s theory of evolution, Victorians regarded themselves and their society as the acme of human development.’[2] However, it was an era that balanced on the age of a new century that seemed to accentuate and highlight numerous anxieties. Ledger and Luckhurst (2000) further state that this was an ambivalent period; with major progress in science and technology but also a time of real decline, in which Britain’s global economic power was rivalled by Germany and America. This ambivalence at the turn of the century created fears and anxieties concerning the decline of the British race. A crucial influence on British anxieties of decline was underpinned by scientific and medical knowledge known as Theories of Degeneration. Ledger and Luckhurst (2000) state, at this time, that ‘…degeneration was one defining structure which can be traced across many disciplines…’[3] These theories of degeneration impacted over many discourses within Victorian culture including race, class, sexuality and morality, and envisaged ‘…a “primitive” lost world or degenerate “after...
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...winner once said, “The hierarchy of class in the UK was rigid. It was like a religion. It still is to a certain extent” (2001). As we read David Copperfield, we realize that this is indeed the case centuries back and particularly in the Victorian era. Barbara Hardy confirms, “David Copperfield is a Victorian novel, and its powers and defects have to be seen in the context of its age” (1987, p.9). Moreover, Social status had always been a major issue in Charles Dickens’s novels due to its great impact on people of various classes. In David Copperfield, Charles Dickens criticizes class hierarchy and social status in the Victorian era, which is highlighted everywhere as major issues throughout the novel by showing how it affected the lives of the upper class as well as the lower class characters in it negatively. One way Dickens criticizes class hierarchy is through Steerforth’s character. Steerforth’s higher social status and the treatment of the people around him corrupted him and made him unsympathetic to the poor, allowing him to treat them badly. Steerforth was a major character whose higher social class affected the course of the events. Actually, social problems highlighted by Steerforth’s character were not a new thing in the Victorian era. In fact, it was a major issue especially at the time David Copperfield is written. Sally Mitchell states, “Victorian’s reign was marked by social and political turmoil, […] Social problems dominated the economic and political scene” (1996...
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