Questions tagged [victorian]
The Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until 22 January 1901.
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Were "spring-heeled boots" a real thing, and if so, what did they look like?
Dylan Thomas's "The Peaches" (from Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog, 1940):
The passage grew dark too suddenly, the walls crowded in, and the roofs crouched down. To me, staring ...
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How often was the 'abominable mystery' used to attack Darwin's evolution theory?
Darwin coined the words "abominable mystery" for the comparatively sudden appearance of flowering plants in the fossil record, and considered it a weak point in his evolution theory.
But ...
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Is this an 1800's British military uniform?
The photo is of my great-great-grandfather Timothy J. Coffey who lived in Ireland early to mid-1800s
My great-great-grandfather was likely born in Ireland in early 1800's. His daughter Mary T. Coffey ...
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When was the term 'finishing school' first used?
I'm researching an article on women's education. The earliest reference I can find to an school describing itself as a 'finishing school' is Miss Porter's School, 1843, in Connecticut.
Is there an ...
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How to find regulations for charities in Victorian England?
I am writing a story and have characters planning to establish a charitable foundation in Victorian London. I want to mention their research in preparation for that, but I don't know how they would ...
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Can anyone identify this UK Victorian uniform?
I wondered if anyone could identify this uniform.
I know little about it other than it is a friend's ancestor. It looks late 19th century to me.
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How did one get accepted into university in 19th century England?
So, here's all I (believe to) know on this topic and some follow up questions:
Only the more wealthy (upper and middle class) did have the resources to send their offspring (of course mostly only the ...
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Was there a travel section in the Sunday London Times in the 1890s?
Was there a travel section in the Sunday edition of the London Times in the 1890s? Or was there something that was roughly the equivalent of it? If so, what was it called? (Somehow "Travel&...
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Did they have dorm mothers for finishing schools in the 19th century?
I'm currently writing a novel, and was doing a lot of research on 19th century finishing schools for young ladies. In my book, the girls need to stay on site or next to the finishing school. However, ...
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At what age did girls start wearing corsets in 1880s-1890s Britain?
So, I found some contradicting information to answer this on the internet and almost none of it was dated to a specific time of the victorian era, so I would like to know if anyone can answer this ...
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Where does this quote come from?
Emperor Menelik II's wikipedia page quotes him as saying "There was never a time when united that the Ethiopians lost to an enemy in history".
I am unable to find anywhere on the internet ...
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Were blue-tinted glasses prevalent in Victorian England and, if so, why?
Whenever I happen to read Chesterton, Conan-Doyle or some other British writers of the era, there will occasionally be mentioned people wearing blue-tinted spectacles.
Chesterton especially, in his ...
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How to research a Victorian company
In June 1890, the South Atlantic (African) Land and Exploration Company advertised its prospectus in a number of English papers including the Brighton Gazette. I am endeavouring to find out as much as ...
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Did they really use these for street lights and warmth in the Victorian London? [closed]
I've noticed these in a new tv series, The Irregulars, that's based in the Victorian London. I vaguely remember there was firewood shortage. So did they really use these and that close together? What ...
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Was there a belief that the poor could steal thoughts from people's minds?
The Portal Wiki's list of Fact Sphere's Partially True Facts...
In Victorian England, a commoner was not allowed to look directly at the Queen, due to a belief at the time that the poor had the ...