Victorian

Victorian
Key motifs	Pocket watches, corsets, top hats
Key colours	Ochre, russet, beige, brown, taupe, black, white, royal blue, crimson
Key values	Sentiment, Knowledge
Related aesthetics	Arts and Crafts Movement Dark Academia Darkest Academia Gothic Lolita Rococo Steampunk Victorian Goth Vintage
Related media	Sherlock Holmes, The Infernal Devices

Victorian is a visual aesthetic that comprises the various fashions and trends in British culture that emerged and developed in the United Kingdom and the British Empire during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), which is known as the Victorian Era.

The aesthetic heavily influenced Lolita, Steampunk and Victorian Goth.

Fashion

Note: Victorian fashion was often changing (e.g. the fashionable female silhouette completely changed from the 1850s to the 1870s). Hence, it is impossible to give one particular Victorian look, and instead, one can choose to follow the fashion of a particular part of the Victorian era, or mix and match.

Men's Fashion

Garments

Outerwear

• Frock Coats
• Vests
• Waistcoats

Shoes

• Boots

Accessories

• Bow Ties
• Gloves
• Top Hats
• Pocket Watches

Women's Fashion

Aspects

• Bertha Neckline
• Pagoda Sleeves
• V-Shaped Bodice

Garments

Shoes

• Boots
• Narrow and Heelless Shoes

Accessories

• Engageantes
• Gloves
• Hats
  • Hats were an important part of Victorian fashion. For women, type of hat changed throughout the 1830s-1890s. In the 1830s, Poke Bonnets were popular. Toward the end of the Victorian era, women favored large, extravagant hats with silk flowers, ribbons, and exotic plumes.

Undergarments

• Boned Corsets
• Bustles/Tournure
• Petticoats

Visual

Victorian visual includes more elegance and vintage vibes, displaying things such as:

• Victorian Homes
• Statues
• Tea & Teacups
• Candles
• Detailed Paintings
• Old Lettering
• Pocket Watches
• Old Devices

Home Decor

Victorian homes were cluttered and full of knick-knacks.

• antique clocks
• velvet covered sofas and chairs
• dark, heavy curtains
• candlesticks
• ruffles, bows, and lace on fabric items
• sepia photographs
• William Morris wallpaper
• fireplaces
• gas lamps
• silver bowls and urns
• porcelain objects
• taxidermy animals
• "exotic" items from Africa, India, Japan, and China

Media

Books

• Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
• anything by Charles Dickens
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brönte
• Little Women by Lousia May Alcott
• Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle
• Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco
• The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Claire
• The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
• The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Brönte

Movies

• Ammonite (2020)
• Anna Karenina (2012)
• Around the World in 80 Days (1956) (2004)
• Dracula (1992)
• Colette (2018)
• Crimson Peak (2015)
• Enola Holmes (2020)
• Little Women (1994)
• Mystère à la Tour Eiffel (2017)
• Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
• The Feast of All Saints (2001)
• The Happy Prince (2018)
• The Legend of Lizzie Borden (1975)
• The Personal History of David Copperfield (2020)

Stage Works

• A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
• The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
• Pirates of Penzance by Arthur Sullivan and W. S. Gilbert

TV

• Belgravia (2020)
• Daniel Deronda (2002)
• Dead Still (2020-)
• Dickinson (2019-)
• Gentleman Jack (2019)
• Murdoch Mysteries (2008-)
• Penny Dreadful (2014-2016)
• Radioactive (2019)
• Vanity Fair (2018)

Resources

https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/victorian-era-timeline

http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/0-9/19th-century-fashion/#:~:text=The%20fashion%20of%20the%2019th,the%20back%20of%20the%20silhouette.

Vendors

• Historical Emporium
• Victorian Trading Company
• The Victorian Emporium

Gallery