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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
Photo Captures The Moment A Baby Burst Out Laughing And Her Mother Fights So Hard To No Laugh With Her
RELATED:
#2
Victorian Strongwomen Laverie Vallee Also Known As Charmion
Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago
I think I might once have had an arm that could match that muscle definition (many decades ago when I engaged in sport), but I've never worn a hat quite that fabulous. 😁 - er, yeah, and I am a bloke...
April Pickett 5 months ago
You don't look at the muscle she's displaying, you just think she's pretty. Mmmmm.. bad attitude.
Load More Replies... #3
Adorable Series Of Mother And Daughter Photographs From 1900
#4
Two British Victorian Women Make A Victorian Snow Lady In 1892
Russell Tilling 5 months ago
It's so good, maybe it's a Victorian version of photoshop? ie improved or made in the developing lab, possibly using a real person? I can't see how you can make an arm that thin out of packed snow.
Catlady6000 5 months ago
Looks like it was made as part of the body, so no need for support. I like how dirty snow was used for stripes on the skirt. Tho, it may just be smudges on the photo
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#5
A Victorian Era Woman Getting Photographed For The First Time. Can Only Imagine How Striking Her Eyes Were
Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago (edited)
Black and white photography has had various incarnations. Many of them make blue eyes a good deal more striking than they might otherwise be. Still...
#6
Woman In Knickers Smoking Cigarette And Looking At Man Doing Laundry
Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago
Knickers are underwear. They look like plus fours or similar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plus_fours
Damned_Cat 5 months ago
"Knickers" was an abbreviation of Knickerbocker pants, which she is wearing.
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Cydney Golden 5 months ago
Probably a propaganda poster. Tried to convince the public if women earned the right to vote they'd take over and men would have to do housework.
Keith Handly (Ike) 5 months ago
This was not a real photo, it was anti-suffragette propaganda.
#7
I'll See Your 1876 Batman And Raise You Victorian Era Bat Woman
Huddo's sister 5 months ago
I don't know if it's true, but I remember reading that sometimes women in this era wore clothes with bats on to signify they were lesbians.
Load More Replies... #8
A Victorian Woman And Her Pets
#9
The Victorian Solution For The Homeless: The 4 Penny Coffin
For 4 pennies a person could geat a blanket, pillow and single coffin to sleep in the warm of a building for the night.
Bill Swallow 5 months ago
As I recall, in the late 1890's, the Salvation Army operated shelters with these oilcloth-lined "beds" in London for the indigent or temporarily-distressed. The oilcloth lining was a defense against 'bodily vermin' (fleas, bedbugs, lice, and the like). They are described in a scene in Fred Saberhagen's excellent novel, "The Holmes-Dracula File".
Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago
Not actual coffins. The men in question appear to be ordinary working men. Four pennies during Victoria's reign wasn't expensive - but it wasn't a trivial price either. There is more to this than meets the eye.
Paulina 5 months ago (edited)
Ordinary working men can also be homeless. Many poor people in Victorian era didn't have a permanent residence. They lived & slept in rented rooms (boarding houses), and if for whatever reason couldn't pay for the night, they had to find something else. Maybe stay with a friend, maybe on the street. Homelessness was a bit different than what we understand it to be now.
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Chippy Chap 5 months ago
In a BBC show they showed their olden days solution. Many people would sit on a bench, a rope would go across their chests, their arms would slump over the rope, and they would sleep like washing on the line. This was the lowest bar before the street.
Stephanie Did It 5 months ago
Hence the phrase, "to be hungover" after a night of drinking.
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#10
The London School Of Medicine, Physiology Laboratory. Women Students At Work, 1899
David 5 months ago
women did a lot of lab grunt work back then. If you were a woman who was smart and motivated to work in those days, lab grunt work, nurse, or teacher was basically the only jobs that were availble. Women as actual doctors, professors, and researchers were rare (they did exist (like Professor Sarah Jane Woodson, who in 1859 became the first Black Woman University Professor in the US and taught English, Latin, and Classics. Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell who was a pioneer for women in medicine. Hertha Ayrton was a pioneer in electrical engineering. And many more), but for most women of academic talent, this was where society let them. These women laid the ground work for women in science, medicine, and more that we have today, because these openings were the first stage to what we have today
David Andrews 5 months ago (edited)
While I completely agree that women were sidelined and repeatedly hit walls when trying to study medicine, you are doing these women a disservice saying they were just doing grunt work. The London School of Medicine for Women was founded by women physicians in order to counteract the rejections they had themselves received from medical schools. The women in the picture would have been attending lectures in anatomy, physiology, chemistry, botany, materia medica (medications), mental pathology, surgery, midwifery, and gynaecology. By the 1900s the number of female doctors in the UK had increased from 20 odd in the 1880s to nearly 500. These women were not just laying the groundwork, they were the pioneers.
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LittleTeapot 5 months ago
Like the NASA computers of the 50s, these women are the perfect retort to any argument about male intelligence or academic superiority. What the men whose names adorn all documented advances from those days achieved would not have been possible without these brilliant dedicated women. I wish I could get a coffee with them.
#11
"The Devil's Auction". Female Burlesque Performer In Horse Costume
#12
Victorian Girl Posing With Her Beloved Dog. Dog Alive, You Can See It Blurring In The 2nd Shot. Circa Mid XIX Century
#13
Mountain Hiking Around 1910
JoNo 5 months ago
There's some people who don't understand these eras are named after Kings and Queens. That's why Victorian times went for many more years than Edwardian or Georgian.
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Linda Riebel 5 months ago
I'm SOOOO grateful I didn't live then and have to wear those horrible clothes.
#14
A Victorian Era Candle-Lit Christmas Tree (Late 1800s)
Lene 5 months ago
It was normal in the old days. It was also normal to have a bucket of water in the room with the Christmas tree. My grandmother held onto that tradition and I was always so scared of thr tree catching fire because I was not used to live candles anywhere else when it was Christmas. But yes, it was a fire hazard but also yes, people usually had a bucket of water nearby just in case.
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Trillian 5 months ago
My mom always had a mix of candles and fairy lights. The candles would be lit for christmas eve (when we celebrate) only, the fairy lights would be on the rest of the time.
Panda McPandaface 5 months ago
We did too, little tin clips with a holder on the top for a very specific size of candle that was only sold at Christmas for that purpose.
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Jeolas1 5 months ago
Where I'm from it is still very common to have real candles on the tree. My family does, too.
Panda McPandaface 5 months ago
Surely Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus, not gifts!
Load More Replies... Tonyah Mcanelly 5 months ago
Its intresting to see that things that were a hazard now was just an afterthought back then
#15
Victorian Photos Showing The Complex Progress For Wearing A Crinoline Dress. Circa 1850
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 5 months ago (edited)
I read somewhere that Punch Magazine, a satirical publication, called for men to cite their wives as "fire hazards" to their insurance companies. However, this was far from funny, as many women d¡ed when their dresses caught fire from fireplaces or trying to escape a burning building. In one documented case, Archduchess Mathilde of Austria burned to death when her dress caught fire from a cigarette she was trying to hide from her father.
Bret Sander 5 months ago
A crinoline is stiff netting or fabric worn under the dress or skirt to add fullness. These are hoop skirts.
#16
A Peanut Vendor Wearing A Suit Made Of Peanuts, Circa 1890
SomeGurlOnline 5 months ago
🎼 Well I'm a peanut bar, and I'm here to say, your check will arrive on another day... 🎶🎵
#17
A Young Girl And Her Very Large Doll, Ca. 1900
#18
Before Alarm Clocks Were Affordable, "Knocker-UPS" Were Used To Wake People Early In The Morning. UK, Around 1900
K. LNU 5 months ago
In college (1987) I had a date with a British exchange student, and at the end of the date he asked if he could "knock me up tomorrow for breakfast." I must have looked stricken as he quickly explained it just meant could he take me out for breakfast!
Uncle Schmickle 5 months ago
In bygone days in Australia, we commonly used the term " knock up ", meaning to knock on someones door. Such as : " my cat is missing, so I'll knock up the neighbours to ask if anyone has seen it ".
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#19
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
Sven Horlemann 5 months ago
Hm. Only men in the pictures, but the woman is at least allowed to hold the cup. Strange pic.
Fraxinus excelsior 5 months ago
She's probably the poor sod who's having to pour the drinks for the men
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#20
All Eyes On You, 1892
#21
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
Although There Are Many Inaccuracies, The Sculptures Are “Grade I Listed Buildings", The Same Status As St Paul’s Cathedral.
Panda McPandaface 5 months ago
I went when I was small - they were on their last legs though.
Load More Replies... #22
Visiting Quarantined Family And Friends At Ullevål Hospital, Oslo, 1905
StretcherBearer 5 months ago
Totally. This was made using Victorian deep fake tech. The CIA shot this on a soundstage where they faked the moon landing. Before the CIA existed! That's how deep the conspiracy goes, man. Now you're eyes are open. /s
Load More Replies... #23
Bathers And Bathing Carriages On The Beach Of Blankenberge
QuincyForrest 5 months ago
The carriages were wheeled down into the surf with the woman inside; at one time the only acceptable way a woman could bathe in the surf. She then stepped out the door and down the steps into the knee/thigh deep water, and was screened by a privacy umbrella. This was frequently in an area segregated for women only. After she got wet, i.e. when her "swimming" was done, she stepped back up into the carriage and it was hauled by ropes (horse powered) back up to the dry beach. She changed into and out of her bathing attire while inside the carriage. In the photo shown it looks like standards have been relaxed somewhat.
Jane Hower 5 months ago
Good god, what was the issue??? Just another way to subjicate women???
#24
A Picture Taken At The Photography Studio Of J. Hart On City Road, East London - Circa Late 1870s
Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago
1870s, London. This should be required viewing for those who complain about "all those foreigners coming over it, it didn't used to be like that" etc., etc.
Fire Singer 5 months ago
Really what those people are saying is "I don't like seeing brown people, I'd like them separated from me like 'the good ole days'".
Load More Replies... Panda McPandaface 5 months ago
East London has been a melting pot for centuries because of the docks - British 'society' was much more mixed than some people would like you to believe.
Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago
Not just London. Probably all port cities everywhere in the world have always been cultural melting pots - after all, they're the places where long distance travellers arrive. Here's another example from the UK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Bay
Load More Replies... #25
Victorian Working Women On Their Work Clothes. Miners Most Likely. Some In Pants, Others Still In Dress, Circa Late 1880s
Panda McPandaface 5 months ago
Women were not permitted to work underground at mines after 1842 - they could work moving coal etc above ground though.
#26
Pubic Wig Seller 1860
Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago
"Serving the discerning pudendum since 1827" - which is in the Georgian era (George IV reigned from 1820-1830). "The Oxford Companion to the Body dates the origin of the pubic wig to the 1450s. According to the publication, women would shave their pubic hair for personal hygiene and to combat pubic lice. They would then put on a merkin." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkin
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 5 months ago (edited)
Becomes less funny when considering most customers were women who had lost their pubic hair due to advanced syphilis...
Gerry Higgins 5 months ago
When looking like an adult was fashionable. Now everyone wants to look prepubescent
Sven Horlemann 5 months ago
I had to read this to my wife - she did not believe me. Found and read the wikipedia article to "Merkin" to her. Now she believes. But lost all belief in society 🤣.
Purple light 5 months ago
This is not a photo from Victorian times. It is part of an art project.
Purple light 5 months ago
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/photo-shows-seller-of-19th-century-intimate-wigs/
Load More Replies... #27
The Only Female Elephant Trainer In The World, Understood The Value Of Publicity
Here She Is Pictured With Her Outsized Pets, Who, A Little Internet Digging Has Unearthed, Were Called Jemona And Abdella.
Unicorn Handstand 5 months ago (edited)
I looked it up, here's a reddit post (with sources) that I found: https://www.reddit.com/r/RandomVictorianStuff/comments/1ki2dfk/the_only_female_elephant_trainer_in_the_world/
Load More Replies... Paulina 5 months ago (edited)
"Mademoiselle Scherazade was said to be the only Lady Elephant Trainer in Europe (sometimes the world). She seems to have been from Brussels and started this profession in 1884, when a newspaper report shows she was in England touring with a man named Edmunds who had a menagerie of animals. She took her two elephants, named Abdella and Jemona, to be part of his menagerie."
#28
A Young Girl Is ‘Hired’ As A Domestic Servant By A Middle-Class Woman In Carlisle’s Greenmarket. Circa 1895
A coin has been pressed into the girl’s hand to confirm her employment.
David 5 months ago
these girls were usually orphans or street children, that they state run orphanages would rent out for labor, as they felt it was the best solution at the time. We now know it was not, but back then educating orphans and urchins was not a priority for those children and the state didnt want to pay for their expenses, so as soon as they were deemed old enough, they were rented out to work "for the good of society". Its also why orphanages taught the girls skills like sewing, cleaning, laundry, rather than math and history.
Load More Replies... Dan 5 months ago
A hiring fair (or mop fair, you brought the tools of your trade). Common in rural England until the early 20th C. Farm workers of both sexes would wait until they were offered work, up to them to accept or not. They were given a coin as a contract. Interestingly for most male farm workers they weren’t paid again until a year later, they got food and lodging in the meantime. Unsurprisingly there were often riots at hiring days as dozens of young men were given a year’s salary on one day in the place where all the pubs were.
Unicorn Handstand 5 months ago
So...like how slaves were sold in the US at slave auctions?
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#29
The Dissecting Room Of St. George's Hospital, London. The Person At The Cadaver's Feet Is Henry Gray, Author Of Gray's Anatomy
Jerusalem Cat Syndrome 5 months ago
You're kidding, right? The show "Grey's Anatomy" is a play on the title of the textbook, "Gray's Anatomy".
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#30
Men And Women Cross Dress In This Humorous Victorian Era Snap, 1880-1900
Cristi nah 5 months ago
They look like an early version of Monthy Pythons
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Sherry Errera 5 months ago (edited)
Grow up. You've been GROSSLY misled, but keep going back to the buffet for more propaganda.
Load More Replies... Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago
That's a lot of having a bit of fun, if you ask me.
Load More Replies... #31
Woman Buttons Up Her Boots 1895
Panda McPandaface 5 months ago
She is wearing a hat with curled feathers on it LOL.
Load More Replies... veirdbuttrue 5 months ago
WTF? who is this Nate that you so clearly have something against?
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#32
Clowns From The Victorian Era... I Can Understand The Fear People Have Of Clowns
Stephanie Did It 5 months ago
I grew up loving the clowns Emmett Kelly, Red Skelton, and Bozo, all of whom were very popular and not at all scary. Then Hollywood decided that ki!!er clowns were a great idea and ruined it for everyone.
#33
Harry Houdini And Bess Houdini With Members Of The Welsh Bros
BrunoVI 5 months ago
It's not like he was a showman or anything, Oh, wait.
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#34
Victorian Living Room, Late 1800s
Auntriarch 5 months ago
You're correct, there were chairs without arms for women.
Load More Replies... Huddo's sister 5 months ago
This looks like the living room of a historic house I visited in Tasmania last year.
Rachel Emrath 5 months ago
That's closer to 1860s attire. My girls reenact and the crinoline cage under the skirt is bendy. The car is difficult but the armed chairs are fine.
#35
Ma Rolinson Of Bethnal Green Making Mattresses
Sally Moen 5 months ago
Stuffing hay into a mattress for a warmer sleep than just on the floor. Warmer and softer, the ticking kept the hay in place and mostly from poking through. Easy to replace when wet or needing a fresh pile. In a pinch, you can stuff dry leaves or hay into a bag, or canvas tarp, to insulate your sleeping bag from the ground when camping rough.
#36
Girl Group. Ca. 1890
Fire Singer 5 months ago (edited)
Ya'll need to stop downvoting Many Nights so quickly, I can't see whatever deranged c**p they're spouting if you keep getting it deleted! My nosey self wants to see the drama! LOL!
Panda McPandaface 5 months ago
It's a nasty little creature that stalks a really nice bloke on here. It deserves blocking at every opportunity.
Load More Replies... Uncle Schmickle 5 months ago
I don't the meaning of the below comment ("Cuck" ?), but can't understand why anyone would make a disparaging remark about this lovely photo. These beautiful ladies must be part of an orchestra, and it would be nice to find out the back story.
Jerusalem Cat Syndrome 5 months ago
Pretty easy to Google terms: a cuck is a weak or servile man. Probably shortened from cuckold, which is a man whose wife is unfaithful.
Load More Replies... Jane Hower 5 months ago
MOST women had slim waists in those days - ate natural foods locally grown. No prepkgd foods, etc. Sure wish we all looked that good these days.
#37
Vassar Class Day On The Lawn. 1895
bodhisayumi 5 months ago
The Victorian era Vassar class likely revolved around the study of Victorian Britain's history, literature, culture, and society. In case you're like me and didn't have a clue what it was.
Sally Moen 5 months ago
Imagine the laundry and maid work needed to keep those white dresses cleaned and ironed
nottheactualphoto 5 months ago
It was the Age of Servants. Vassar and schools like it were for the children of well-to-do parents.
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#38
Misses Fannie Mills Aka “The Ohio Big Foot Girl”
She had a disease called Milroy's disease which caused for legs and feet to become gigantic.
#39
Victorian Women With Long Thick Weavy Hair. Circa Second Half Of The XIX Century
Catlady6000 5 months ago
The Seven Sutherland Sisters. They made a lot of money with that hair
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Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago
So, let's see: man is sufficiently secure in his manhood to play such a role in a photograph staged with seven women. If it were possible (using a time machine and all that) to witness their response to your accusation, I'd love to watch. I think they'd all be laughing, once you'd explained.
Load More Replies... #40
Woman Reading On A Sofa Illustrating The Use Of John Carter’s Literary Machine With Lamp, Table And Adjustable Couch
Doofnuts 5 months ago
Is it just me, or does here posture show some, ummm, not so comfortable?
K. LNU 5 months ago
Might be wearing a corset? Those aren't very comfortable from my understanding.
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Uncle Schmickle 5 months ago
I like the small table attachment with tea pot and cup. Also, I wonder what type of lamps they were ? Can't see an electric cable running to the stand.
#41
Cabaret Of Hell
Multa Nocte 5 months ago
"Cabaret de l'Enfer (The Cabaret of Hell) was a famous cabaret in Montmartre, founded in November 1892 by Antonin Alexander and demolished in 1950 to allow for the expansion of a Monoprix supermarket. The Cabaret de L'Enfer was the counterpart to The Cabaret du Ciel (The Cabaret of Sky), another cabaret which shared the same address on the Boulevard de Clichy. Antonin Alexander was the creator, director, and host of the twin ventures."
#42
Brighton Beach Bathing Machines. UK 1864
#43
European Tourists Having A Picnic In A Temple, In Egypt
Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago
They don't appear to be stealing or damaging anything - so, no worries?
Michael Largey 5 months ago
Unless they're eating mummies, which was common among Europeans of the time.
Load More Replies... #44
A Young Independent Shoeblack Shines The Boots Of A City Gent
Mama Clare 5 months ago
I was like Please someone has to have said it!!! And you did! :)
Load More Replies... #45
Professional "Mute Mourners", An Obligatory Attribute Of The Funeral Of Any Well-To-Do Deceased In Victorian England, 1896
#46
Chimney Sweep
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 5 months ago (edited)
According to Honest Trailers: [Sing to Mary Poppins' Step in Time] "Filth and grime, filth and grime! Never had a union, barely made a dime, our lungs filled with filth and grime!"
Sally Moen 5 months ago
Now it's a lucrative business, atleast here in the US, for chimney cleaners. They still use those extendable brushes but have filters and covers so the work is alot less messy for the chimney sweep
#47
Parlor Maid At Little Gillions, Croxley Green (1880s - 1890s)
Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago
About Little Gillions, The Green, Croxley Green, Hertfordshire: https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/library/browse/issue.xhtml?recordId=1199223
#48
Tintype Of Two Victorian Chaps Who Really Want To Show You Their Feet, Circa 1870s
#49
Victorian Life 1890s
#52
A Posed Scene With Costumed Actors 1897
Russell Tilling 5 months ago
Wow. Asian Indians, maharaja and Western Indians with frontiersmen and settlers. Impressive.
#53
Victorian High Fashion At The Time: Taxidermy Hats. Could Go From Birds To Other Animals Like Squirrels
Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago
Greenkitty is quite right. But there were groups organized to campaign against things like that - two of them resulted in the formation of the UK's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Society_for_the_Protection_of_Birds#History
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What do you think ?
Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago
BP is very wrong: the Victorian period in British history covers the reign of Queen Victoria and nothing else. 1837-1901. It's defined by the monarch's reign and that's that. There's no wiggle room. In 1837, William IV died, and Victoria became monarch. Some years later - 1901 - Victoria died and that was the end of the Victorian era. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era. Her son Edward (VII) was then monarch from 1901-1910, that being called the Edwardian era.
Carl Roberts 5 months ago
Almost every one of these photos is from that exact time period, except for few that are dated from the Edwardian era. Is it really worth getting outraged over a couple of photos? Also....these pics come from a Facebook group, BP is just reposting them
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Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago
BP is very wrong: the Victorian period in British history covers the reign of Queen Victoria and nothing else. 1837-1901. It's defined by the monarch's reign and that's that. There's no wiggle room. In 1837, William IV died, and Victoria became monarch. Some years later - 1901 - Victoria died and that was the end of the Victorian era. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era. Her son Edward (VII) was then monarch from 1901-1910, that being called the Edwardian era.
Carl Roberts 5 months ago
Almost every one of these photos is from that exact time period, except for few that are dated from the Edwardian era. Is it really worth getting outraged over a couple of photos? Also....these pics come from a Facebook group, BP is just reposting them
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