Article created by: Eglė Bliabaitė

From 1837 to 1901, Britain was shaped by the reign of Queen Victoria, giving rise to what we now call the Victorian era.

Today, many think of it as a dark and mysterious time—sometimes even morbid—with somber fashion, spiritual séances, and ghost stories. But how often do we actually stop to see how people really lived back then?

If you haven’t yet, this is your chance. Below, you’ll find a series of photographs from the Victorian era, capturing people in all kinds of moments, from the everyday to the strange and curious. Scroll through and let us know which ones stood out to you!

This post may include affiliate links.

#1

A Victorian Era Woman Getting Photographed For The First Time. Can Only Imagine How Striking Her Eyes Were

Victorian times portrait of a woman in vintage dress, capturing a strange moment from the era that fascinates today.

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    All Eyes On You, 1892

    Victorian times group portrait showing five women and a man in period clothing posing behind each other indoors.

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    #3

    Clowns From The Victorian Era... I Can Understand The Fear People Have Of Clowns

    Three Victorian clowns in white face paint playing musical instruments in a strange vintage scene from Victorian times.

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    #4

    Photo Captures The Moment A Baby Burst Out Laughing And Her Mother Fights So Hard To No Laugh With Her

    Victorian mother holding baby in a vintage portrait showcasing strange moments from Victorian times.

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    #5

    Victorian Strongwomen Laverie Vallee Also Known As Charmion

    Victorian times woman flexing muscles wearing feathered hat and elegant dress in a strange moment from the era

    Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research Report

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    #6

    Adorable Series Of Mother And Daughter Photographs From 1900

    Collage of strange moments from Victorian times showing a woman and child in unusual poses, capturing Victorian era oddities.

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    #7

    Two British Victorian Women Make A Victorian Snow Lady In 1892

    Two Victorian women dressed in black building a strange snow sculpture of a woman in a snow-covered park.

    The Strand Magazine , The Strand Magazine Report

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    #8

    Woman In Knickers Smoking Cigarette And Looking At Man Doing Laundry

    Victorian times domestic scene with woman washing clothes and another dressed in unusual Victorian fashion indoors.

    Underwood & Underwood Report

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    #9

    I'll See Your 1876 Batman And Raise You Victorian Era Bat Woman

    Victorian woman wearing a bat costume with wings outstretched, showcasing strange moments from Victorian times.

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    #10

    The Victorian Solution For The Homeless: The 4 Penny Coffin

    Five men in Victorian hospital beds inside wooden frames, showing strange moments from Victorian times.

    For 4 pennies a person could geat a blanket, pillow and single coffin to sleep in the warm of a building for the night.

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    Mark (it/urgh)
    Mark (it/urgh)
    Community Member
    5 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    For a penny you could lean over a rope for the night.

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    #11

    A Victorian Woman And Her Pets

    Woman in Victorian-era dress holding a cockatoo and petting a cat outside a brick building in strange Victorian moments.

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    #12

    The London School Of Medicine, Physiology Laboratory. Women Students At Work, 1899

    Victorian times laboratory scene with women and men working on scientific experiments in a long room with vintage equipment.

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    #13

    "The Devil's Auction". Female Burlesque Performer In Horse Costume

    Victorian times strange moment featuring a person dressed in a detailed horse costume with accessories and tail.

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    #14

    Pluto Lamps: The Victorian Gas Lamps That Sold Cups Of Hot Coffee, Tea And Cocoa. Inauguration Of The First Pluto In Exmouth Street, London, 1899

    Group of Victorian men and women gathered around an early street telephone box, a strange moment from Victorian times.

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    #15

    Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, London, 1880s. The First Dinosaur Sculptures In The World, Unveiled In 1854, Before The Publication Of Charles Darwin’s Origin Of Species

    Group of Victorian men by canal near large prehistoric reptile statues, capturing strange moments from Victorian times.

    Although There Are Many Inaccuracies, The Sculptures Are “Grade I Listed Buildings", The Same Status As St Paul’s Cathedral.

    FNaXQ Report

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    #16

    Mountain Hiking Around 1910

    Group of Victorian-era people wearing period clothing and hats, holding walking sticks on rocky terrain, Victorian times scene.

    National Archives / Spaarnestad Photo Report

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    #17

    A Victorian Era Candle-Lit Christmas Tree (Late 1800s)

    Victorian era woman sitting beside a Christmas tree decorated with candles and vintage ornaments in a historic room.

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    #18

    Victorian Photos Showing The Complex Progress For Wearing A Crinoline Dress. Circa 1850

    Victorian times fashion showing women wearing crinoline hoop skirts and elaborate dresses indoors.

    Lord_Cornwallis_III Report

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    #19

    A Peanut Vendor Wearing A Suit Made Of Peanuts, Circa 1890

    Victorian man covered in hundreds of peanuts on his clothing holding a basket and cane in a strange moment.

    Iangator Report

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    #20

    A Young Girl And Her Very Large Doll, Ca. 1900

    Victorian times strange moment showing a girl holding hands with a life-sized doll dressed in matching old-fashioned clothing.

    SerlondeSavigny Report

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    #21

    Before Alarm Clocks Were Affordable, "Knocker-UPS" Were Used To Wake People Early In The Morning. UK, Around 1900

    Victorian times street scene with a man using a long pole to open a second-floor window on a brick building.

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    #22

    Victorian Girl Posing With Her Beloved Dog. Dog Alive, You Can See It Blurring In The 2nd Shot. Circa Mid XIX Century

    Victorian times girl in striped dress posing with small dog on table in a vintage strange moments photograph.

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    #23

    Visiting Quarantined Family And Friends At Ullevål Hospital, Oslo, 1905

    Women standing on ladders peering through windows, showcasing a strange moment from Victorian times still fascinating today.

    StcStasi , Anders Beer Wilse Report

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    #24

    Bathers And Bathing Carriages On The Beach Of Blankenberge

    Victorian times beach scene with people in period clothing and bathing huts along the shore in a strange moment.

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    #25

    Victorian Working Women On Their Work Clothes. Miners Most Likely. Some In Pants, Others Still In Dress, Circa Late 1880s

    Victorian times workers in period clothing holding tools, showcasing strange moments from the Victorian era.

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    #26

    Pubic Wig Seller 1860

    Victorian times strange moment showing a man presenting a collection of vintage hairpieces or merkins in a display case.

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    paulkiernan avatar
    Paul Kiernan
    Paul Kiernan
    Community Member
    5 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    " I loved this product so much, I got one for my face "

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    #27

    A Young Girl Is ‘Hired’ As A Domestic Servant By A Middle-Class Woman In Carlisle’s Greenmarket. Circa 1895

    Victorian times street scene with women and children in period clothing showing strange moments from Victorian life.

    A coin has been pressed into the girl’s hand to confirm her employment.

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    Paul Kiernan
    Paul Kiernan
    Community Member
    5 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The look on the young girls face is heartbreaking

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    #28

    A Picture Taken At The Photography Studio Of J. Hart On City Road, East London - Circa Late 1870s

    Victorian times group portrait of five people in period clothing showcasing fashion from unusual Victorian moments.

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    #29

    Men And Women Cross Dress In This Humorous Victorian Era Snap, 1880-1900

    Group of people dressed in Victorian times clothing posing outdoors, reflecting strange moments from Victorian era history.

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    #30

    The Only Female Elephant Trainer In The World, Understood The Value Of Publicity

    Victorian times strange moment showing a woman standing between two elephants outside a wooden stable.

    Here She Is Pictured With Her Outsized Pets, Who, A Little Internet Digging Has Unearthed, Were Called Jemona And Abdella.

    FarStrawberry5438 , National Museums Scotland Report

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    #31

    The Dissecting Room Of St. George's Hospital, London. The Person At The Cadaver's Feet Is Henry Gray, Author Of Gray's Anatomy

    Group of Victorian men posing in a classroom setting, showcasing strange moments from Victorian times that fascinate today.

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    #32

    Harry Houdini And Bess Houdini With Members Of The Welsh Bros

    Group portrait of Victorian circus performers in costume, showcasing strange moments from Victorian times still fascinating today

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    #33

    Girl Group. Ca. 1890

    Group of Victorian women dressed in period clothing holding musical instruments in a strange moment from Victorian times.

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    #34

    Woman Buttons Up Her Boots 1895

    Victorian times woman adjusting her boot laces while seated, showcasing fashion from strange moments in Victorian times.

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    #35

    Ma Rolinson Of Bethnal Green Making Mattresses

    Two Victorian-era women in a courtyard with striped mattresses, depicting strange moments from Victorian times.

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    #36

    Victorian Living Room, Late 1800s

    Victorian times living room with floral furniture, a woman in a long dress, and a man seated by the fireplace in vintage decor.

    R. K. Mellon Family Foundation Report

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    #37

    Victorian Women With Long Thick Weavy Hair. Circa Second Half Of The XIX Century

    Group of Victorian women with extraordinarily long hair and a man, illustrating strange moments from Victorian times.

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    #38

    Woman Reading On A Sofa Illustrating The Use Of John Carter’s Literary Machine With Lamp, Table And Adjustable Couch

    Victorian times woman reclining on an adjustable chaise lounge with attached book holder and tea set nearby.

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    #39

    Brighton Beach Bathing Machines. UK 1864

    Victorian times beach scene with ladies bathing machines on a pebble shore and people dressed in period clothing.

    OtherwiseTackle5219 Report

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    #40

    Vassar Class Day On The Lawn. 1895

    Victorian times women in elaborate white dresses gathered outdoors holding bouquets during a formal event.

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    #41

    Misses Fannie Mills Aka “The Ohio Big Foot Girl”

    Victorian times photograph of a woman with unusually large feet seated in a vintage indoor setting.

    She had a disease called Milroy's disease which caused for legs and feet to become gigantic.

    wikipedia , Charles Eisenmann Report

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    #42

    A Young Independent Shoeblack Shines The Boots Of A City Gent

    Victorian times street scene showing a boy shining shoes for a man in a long coat and hat on a city sidewalk.

    John Thomson / Getty Image Report

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    #43

    Parlor Maid At Little Gillions, Croxley Green (1880s - 1890s)

    Victorian maid carrying a tray through a doorway in a historic room, showcasing strange moments from Victorian times.

    wellcome collection Report

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    #44

    European Tourists Having A Picnic In A Temple, In Egypt

    Victorian times tea gathering in ancient ruins with people in period dress, showcasing strange moments from Victorian era life.

    LL / Getty Image Report

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    paulkiernan avatar
    Paul Kiernan
    Paul Kiernan
    Community Member
    5 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    A quick picnic then we'll steal all of your historical artifacts and put them in our museums

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    #45

    Professional "Mute Mourners", An Obligatory Attribute Of The Funeral Of Any Well-To-Do Deceased In Victorian England, 1896

    Two Victorian men wearing strange tall hats and cloaks, holding covered umbrellas in a black and white photo.

    Unique_District_9381 Report

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    #46

    Chimney Sweep

    Victorian times street scene showing a man holding cleaning tools and a young boy standing near a doorway.

    Historical Picture Archive / Getty Image Report

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    #47

    Tintype Of Two Victorian Chaps Who Really Want To Show You Their Feet, Circa 1870s

    Two Victorian men with mustaches sitting as one appears to balance upside down, a strange moment from Victorian times.

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    #48

    Victorian Life 1890s

    Victorian era scene showing women helping a man inside a wooden tub, capturing strange moments from Victorian times.

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    #49

    Young Women Are Admitted To Full Communion In A London Church. Ca 1860

    Victorian times wedding ceremony showing brides with veils and a clergyman officiating the ritual indoors.

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