The Victorian Era, which spanned the reign of Queen Victoria (1837 - 1901), was an amazing period with great advances and change in virtually all facets of life. In technology, there was an explosion of inventions which, along with the industrial revolution, brought technology into use in daily lives of many people. Discoveries by Darwin marked the rise of importance of science, whereas works by Victorian writers like Dickens made novels popular with the reading public. It's no wonder that the Victorian Era was seen by many as some sort of a rennaissance of the British and Western culture.
The Victorian Era was very unique in terms of its fashion: clothings, fashion accessories, home décor, and mannerisms - basically, the whole Victorian style and culture was wonderfully distinct.
Last February, to commemorate its 10th year anniversary, Victoriana.com launched a free magazine for Victorian enthusiasts. The Victoriana Magazine features ideas and information on Victorian fashion, decorating, remodeling, entertaining, holidays, and history. For the crafters, there are articles on needlework, Victorian scrapbooking, stencil patterns and more.
The magazine also features some interesting articles on the quirky aspects of life during the Victorian era, such as Victorian Engagement Etiquette (Apr 2006), Victorian "Bathing Machine" (May 2006 - see below), Victoria Hair-Dos (Nov 2006), and Victorian Heart-Shaped Jewelry (Feb 2007).
Lastly, one of the neatest features in the Victoriana Magazine is the actual scanned pages of Harper's Bazar, a period women's fashion magazine that started in 1867 (the publication later changed its name to the Harper's Bazaar you find in the bookstores today).
Enough readin' - let's take a closer look at the goodies you can expect to find in Victoriana Magazine:
At Queen Victoria's death in 1901, her huge wardrobe - including her underwear, were distributed to members of the Royal Household. The Queen's personal garment became quite collectible. The Royal Unmentionables article features Queen Victoria's petticoat, nightgown, and even stockings! (Mar 2006 Issue) | |
In the 1880s, cycling was trendy! In "The Golden Age of Bicycles," bicycling clubs for men and women flourished and racing was all the rage. At first, women wore their everyday long skirts while cycling but this proved to be disasterous as they became tangled in the bike chains! So soon thereafter, special fasion for the bicycling lady brought about the "divided skirt" and the more extreme "bloomer costume." What do they look like? It's in the August 2006 Issue. | |
Did you know that the greeting card business came into being during the Victorian era? That's because at that time, when a person paid a formal call on a friend, it was customary to leave a visiting card as a reminder of the visit. In 1860, a publisher of visiting cards began mass producting cards designed for visits at Christmas - and so the Christmas card was born! (Nov 2006 Issue) | |
The bathing machine, a strange contraption on wheels used to ensure the privacy of women wearing bathing suits, was an essential component of a day at the beach during the Victorian era:
(May 2006 Issue) |
Victoriana Magazine is a free online publication. Like Neatorama, it is supported by advertisement (they're on-topic and may provide stuff of interest to the Victorian enthusiasts).
To access Victoriana Magazine, you need to subscribe using your email. Joanne Haug, Victoriana Magazine's editor, assured me that emails are only used to provide links to all future issues of the magazine as they are available, as well as for updates to the Victoriana.com website. They do not sell or rent email addresses, and have a straightforward and easy to understand privacy policy.
I had a lot of fun browsing through the magazine for this review, so check out the Victoriana Magazine here: Link
Note: The review above was sponsored by Victoriana Magazine, through the ReviewMe website. Although I am compensated for this review, the words and opinion, with exception of the quoted passage, are all mine. There was no editorial pressure to write only positive reviews.