Victoriana
Encyclopedia
Victoriana refers to items or material from the Victorian period (1837–1901), especially those particularly evocative of the design style and outlook of the time.
The word is usually used to refer to printed work or to objects such as machinery, house decoration, or furniture.
Victoriana tends to reflect the tastes of the period. Examples in literature might be Charles Dickens
' Oliver Twist
or Sheridan Le Fanu
's Carmilla
, stories which strongly reflect the moral atmosphere of the time. In the case of objects, a military tailcoat
, carriage clock or scrollwork on an iron gate might be considered Victoriana if they were made at the time, in the style characteristic of the Victorian age.
Items such as Stevengraphs were popular collectable items during the revival of interest in Victoriana in the 1960s and 1970s.
Popular culture
Objects that look Victorian but are not of the time—for example, a gothic-style waistcoat made in the 1990s—would not qualify as Victoriana, having been made outside the relevant period, but instead Neo-Victorian
.
In science fiction circles (especially in genres like Steampunk
), the word is also used loosely to describe imaginary, mock-Victorian worlds, where the look and technology of the Victorian era may sit alongside impossible machinery or fantastic creatures. At least one fantasy role-playing game calls itself "Victoriana", and involves a scrollworked, brassy, steam-powered fantasy world.
The word is usually used to refer to printed work or to objects such as machinery, house decoration, or furniture.
Victoriana tends to reflect the tastes of the period. Examples in literature might be Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, published by Richard Bentley in 1838. The story is about an orphan Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to...
or Sheridan Le Fanu
Sheridan Le Fanu
Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu was an Irish writer of Gothic tales and mystery novels. He was the leading ghost-story writer of the nineteenth century and was central to the development of the genre in the Victorian era....
's Carmilla
Carmilla
Carmilla is a Gothic novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. First published in 1872, it tells the story of a young woman's susceptibility to the attentions of a female vampire named Carmilla...
, stories which strongly reflect the moral atmosphere of the time. In the case of objects, a military tailcoat
Tailcoat
A tailcoat is a coat with the front of the skirt cut away, so as to leave only the rear section of the skirt, known as the tails. The historical reason coats were cut this way was to make it easier for the wearer to ride a horse, but over the years tailcoats of varying types have evolved into forms...
, carriage clock or scrollwork on an iron gate might be considered Victoriana if they were made at the time, in the style characteristic of the Victorian age.
Items such as Stevengraphs were popular collectable items during the revival of interest in Victoriana in the 1960s and 1970s.
Popular culturePopular culturePopular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
Objects that look Victorian but are not of the time—for example, a gothic-style waistcoat made in the 1990s—would not qualify as Victoriana, having been made outside the relevant period, but instead Neo-VictorianNeo-Victorian
Neo-Victorian is an aesthetic movement which amalgamates Victorian and Edwardian aesthetic sensibilities with modern principles and technologies...
.
In science fiction circles (especially in genres like Steampunk
Steampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
), the word is also used loosely to describe imaginary, mock-Victorian worlds, where the look and technology of the Victorian era may sit alongside impossible machinery or fantastic creatures. At least one fantasy role-playing game calls itself "Victoriana", and involves a scrollworked, brassy, steam-powered fantasy world.
See also
- Victorian decorative artsVictorian decorative artsVictorian decorative arts refers to the style of decorative arts during the Victorian era. The Victorian era is known for its eclectic revival and interpretation of historic styles and the introduction of cross-cultural influences from the middle east and Asia in furniture, fittings, and Interior...
- Victorian fashionVictorian fashionVictorian fashion comprises the various fashions and trends in British culture that emerged and grew in province throughout the Victorian era and the reign of Queen Victoria, a period which would last from June 1837 to January 1901. Covering nearly two thirds of the 19th century, the 63 year reign...
- Neo-VictorianNeo-VictorianNeo-Victorian is an aesthetic movement which amalgamates Victorian and Edwardian aesthetic sensibilities with modern principles and technologies...
- SteampunkSteampunkSteampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
- PhrenologyPhrenologyPhrenology is a pseudoscience primarily focused on measurements of the human skull, based on the concept that the brain is the organ of the mind, and that certain brain areas have localized, specific functions or modules...
- Gothic fashionGothic fashionGothic fashion is a clothing style worn by members of the Goth subculture; a dark, sometimes morbid, eroticized fashion and style of dress. Typical Gothic fashion includes dyed black hair, black lips and black clothes. Both male and female goths wear dark eyeliner and dark fingernails. Styles are...
- Vintage clothingVintage clothingVintage clothing is a generic term for new or second hand garments originating from a previous era. The phrase is also used in connection with a retail outlet, e.g...
- -ana-ana-ana is a suffix of Latin origin, used in English to convert nouns, usually proper names, into mass nouns, as in Shakespeareana or Dickensiana, items or stories related to William Shakespeare or Charles Dickens....