Elizabeth Gaskell

Elizabeth Gaskell is a writer worth knowing. Gaskell, born in 1810 was a friend of both Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte. She was employed by Dickens and  she wrote "The Life of Charlotte Brontë" (1857) after Bronte's death.   Along with the text Lizzy Leigh(1850), some of her famous works include "North and South"(1855)," Mary Barton" (1848),and "Cranford"(1853). She is also named as a trailblazer of female supernatural writers  in  “Monster, she wrote '' (2019). Though she is more known for her radical politics, especially in her views on industrialization, poverty, and the rights of women. In some of her work, we see a conscious and oftentimes sympathetic subversion of the fallen woman trope. The typical narrative regarding a fallen woman, is that an innocent woman is led astray and becomes a prostitute and dies alone. She is seen as tragic, but ultimately unredeemable. Gaskell goes against this, offering some repentance to these women such as in Lizzy Leigh(1850) where a mother actively attempts to recover her lost daughter. 

 “Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 5 Mar. 2024, www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-Cleghorn-Gaskell. 

The Gaskell Society,  5 aug, 2022 gaskellsociety.co.uk/.

Creation of the Daguerreotype

Invented by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre in France during the 1830s, the daguerreotype holds historical significance as the first commercially successful method of photography. The invention was announced to the public on August 19, 1839, during a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris. With the arrival of the daguerreotype, Victorian England experienced a revolution in visual representation.

This process relied on a polished silver plate coated with light-sensitive silver iodide. The plate was exposed to light within a camera, capturing an image. Subsequent treatment with mercury vapor and a salt solution fixed the image permanently. Daguerreotypes offered an unparalleled level of detail and lifelike representation, blurring the lines between art and science.

The introduction of the daguerreotype sparked debate regarding its classification. While the process undoubtedly involved scientific principles of light and chemistry, the resulting images possessed undeniable artistic qualities. The detailed realism challenged traditional notions of artistic creation, raising questions about the role of the artist in replicating reality versus interpreting it.

Despite lengthy exposure times and hazardous materials, daguerreotypes became highly sought after, particularly for portraiture. Studios specializing in daguerreotypes emerged in major cities, offering the public a chance to experience this process. Furthermore, owning a daguerreotype signified not only wealth but also a connection to a revolutionary technology. The daguerreotype forever altered the way people captured and viewed the world.

Though eventually surpassed by other photographic techniques, the daguerreotype stands as a pivotal achievement. It created a new era of visual documentation, transforming the landscape of art and science.

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/technology/photography/Photographys-early-evolution-c-1840-c-1900 

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dagu/hd_dagu.htm

https://www.loc.gov/collections/daguerreotypes/articles-and-essays/the-daguerreotype-medium

Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre

Published in 1847.

The Crimean War

The Crimean War lasted from 1853-1856 bewteen Russia and the forces of Britain, France, and the Ottoman Empire. There were two main causes of the war: territorial expansion and religion. Czar Nicholas I (Czar of Russia) was attempting to expand his influence over the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean at the expense of the declining Ottoman Empire. The British and French, in turn, saw Nicholas’ power grab as a danger to their trade routes. There was a great struggle for Jerusalem and other "sacred places" under Turkish rule between the Orthodox believers and Catholics. After Austria threatened to join the allies during the Crimean War, Russia accepted preliminary peace terms in 1856. The resulting Treaty of Paris, signed on March 30, 1856, guaranteed the integrity of Ottoman Turkey. There were an estimated 650,000 lives lost (many of them Birtish soldiers).

Although Jane Eyre was published in 1847, it's possible that Charlotte Brontë was influenced by the socio-political atmosphere leading up to the conflict. In the years preceding the Crimean War, Britain was undergoing significant social and political transformations. The mid-19th century was marked by the rise of industrialization, urbanization, and the expansion of the British Empire. These changes brought about shifts in social hierarchies, economic structures, and cultural norms, leading to heightened tensions and debates over issues such as class inequality, women's rights, and colonialism. Jane Eryre reflects many of the concerns and values of the Victorian era, including the tension between social classes, the constraints imposed by gender roles, and the quest for individual autonomy and morality. Although "Jane Eyre" is set in a different historical context, its themes of injustice, oppression, and individual agency parallel the broader moral and existential dilemmas raised by the Crimean War.

History and Britannica

Coventry Patmore, The Angel in the House

Coventry Patmore (1823-1896)

Frances Sally Day

On this day, Frances Sally Day became to first women to photograph the royal family, Queen Victoria at Osborne House. On this day Queen Victoria wrote 'Was photographed on the Lower Terrace by Miss Day, & together with Mama & the children'. No women had ever photographed the royal family especially the queen. Frances was a talented photographer which she learned from her father and as well as a talented artist who had 40 portraits accecpted into the Royal Academy exhibition from 1838-1858. Her achievements during this time was important in inspiring over Victorian women to do photography even as an art form. Since Frances began as an artist and a painter her photography was not only professional but artistic.

The Aesthetic Movement

John Atkinson Grimshaw (1836–1893): The Rector's Garden, Queen of the Lilies (1877)

The Aesthetic Movement in Britain (1860 – 1900) aimed to escape the Industrial Age by focusing on creating art that was beautiful rather than having a deeper meaning --  'Art for Art's sake'. The movement itself was characterizied by its denoucing of morality and middle-class values. The influence of the Victorian Age was waning and being replaced by Aesthetic values partly because Britain’s political and economic supremacy faced new challenges in the form of emerging world powers. Simply, the "glory days" of Britain’s empire were coming to an end and resulted in an anti-Victorian method of thought. 

The movement's ending is often associated with Oscar Wilde's trial. The actual movement's figure was the dandy and associated with Wilde's, The Picture of Dorian Gray. According to the Broad View verison of Romance of a Shop, Amy Levy was inspired by aestheticism -- "The buttonhole flower was the chief accessory to  the aesthetic's wardrobe, while 'languishing' became a quality that captured Fin de siècle [end of the century in French] ennui" (78).

This painting, in particular, was created by John Atkinson Grimshaw (1836–1893) and called, The Rector's Garden, Queen of the Lilies 1877. Some other famous authors or painters and their famous works include Oscar Wilde (author of The Picture of Dorian Gray), Dante Gabriel Rossetti (painter of Proserpine), William Morris (more of a designer), and Algernon Charles Swinburne (known for his poems including Poems and Ballads (1866)). 

Care of Criminal Lunatics Act

This act, passed on August 6, 1860, aimed to "make better provision for the custody and care of criminal lunatics" (British Medical Journal, p. 672). This act declared that Queen Victoria, referenced as "Her Majesty," could declare any asylum or place in England suitable to become an asylum for criminal lunatics, and that nothing in the act would "restrain or affect the Authority of Her Majesty" (673). It further stated that the Secretary of State could direct patients deemed criminal lunatics to an asylum, make rules on how to govern an asylum, and appoint a council and officers to supervise said asylums. Other aspects of this act included provisions for removing and discharging patients, punishment for attempting and/or succeeding to escape or rescue someone from an asylum, penalties for officers that mistreat patients, and for "Commissioners in Lunacy" (674), such as physicians or surgeons, to inspect the asylums and report the visit and any notable findings to a Secretary of State. 

The Creation of the Contagious Diseases Act

Flyer promoting opposition to the act

This act was passed in 1864 in an attempt to regulate sexually transmitted diseases in the military, but in 1869 was expanded. It gave police the complete power to determine whether a woman was a prostitute, and any women suspected of prostitution were required by law to register with the police and undergo an invasive medical exam to determine whether they were suffering from any sexually transmitted diseases. If they refused the exam, women could be imprisoned for up to six months with hard labor. If a woman was found to have any form of sexually transmitted disease, she could also be imprisoned–this time in a lock-hospital (a hospital specifically created to treat venereal disease) until pronounced clean. 

The act did not enforce any examination of men, including male sex workers or men who solicited prostitutes.

Hamilton, Margaret. “Opposition to the Contagious Diseases Acts, 1864-1886.” Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies, vol. 10, no. 1, 1978, pp. 14–27. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/4048453. Accessed 24 Mar. 2024.

Elliot & Fry

Elliot & Fry was a photography studio founded by Joseph John Elliot and Clarence Edmund Fry in 1863. As a photography studio in the Victorian era, their primary task was taking photographs that represented the era socially, culturally, scientifically, politically, and artistically. They had a photography studio at 55 Baker Street in London from 1865-1886 and then expanded their holdings to both 55 and 56 Baker Street from 1887-1908. 

According to footnote 1 on page 75 of The Romance of a Shop by Amy Levy, "...there were several concurrent photography establishments on Upper Baker and Baker Streets in the 1880s." This footnote is followed by the Lorimer sisters establishing their own photography studio at 20B Baker Street in London. As the novel is set in the 1880s, it can be inferred that, if the Lorimer sisters were not fictional, they would have been competing with Elliot & Fry at 55 and 56 Baker Street just down the road. This fictional scenario is a result of Amy Levy's attention to detail throughout The Romance of a Shop, ensuring that she was knowledgeable in the subject that she was writing about in order to create a story that was not only engaging but accurate. 

Jamaica becomes a Crown Colony

When the abolishment of the transatlantic slave trade occured the cost of planters increase in Jamaica. Many slaves then moved to different parts of Jamacia, leaving the plantations to family regions farming there. In 1846 the sales price of sugar continued to decline and legislation started to make poor decision on taxations. To try and fix the problems that were happening, Sir Charles T. Metcalfe and James Bruce brought Indian plantation workers in which leaded to the entire planatation system collapsing. 

Due to Govenor Eyre neglecting to find helpful opinions in fixing the conditions that the fields were in for planting, an abundance of meetings started to come up that are protesting, attempting to alleviate the harsh conditions that are occurring on the island. Over time, letters were sent back and forth from George Gordon and Govenor Eyre/ the Queen but nothing was relieved, the Queen shut it down by telling the "middle class" to look within their system to get it fixed. Poor slaves in 1865 rioted a town in Morant Bay, murdering the chief magistrate and 18 other European ancestry. Govenor John Eyre declared marital law and hanging the leader, Paul Bogle along with this aid George William Gordon. In the West Indies many people were in favor of the decison that John Eyre made but those in Britian were in disagreement especially on what should happen to Govenor Eyre. 

Govenor Eyre wanted to break down the government of Jamaica to essentially create a more centralized government. The communicated betweenthe Jamaican government and Colonial goverment was "awkward" or quite silent, so the goal to make Jamaica a Crowned Colony was the goal. In 1866, the Jamacian assembly decided to stripe Govenor Eyre of his responsibilities and declaring Jamaica a crowned colony under Parliment. Killing so many people of color, Governor Eyre was looked down upon in England which brought upon the new governor Sir John Peter Grant. 

https://www.britannica.com/place/Jamaica/British-rule

https://repository.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2257&context=grad...

The Elementary Education Act of 1870

The Elementary Education Act of 1870 was introduced to Parliament by William E. Forester and was the first piece of legislation that protected and enforced education as a universal priority for children between the ages of 5 and 12. This Act was formed out of increased pressure and desire for schooling in more rural areas, as well as a campaign from the National Education League that demanded free, non-denominational, required education for all children in England and Wales. The Elementary Education Act also established “school boards”, which were elected positions to be filled and run by locals. These boards essentially became the managers of these institutions (and potentially others nearby if needed), and utilized community funds to upkeep the school and this new Act. This particular iteration of the law did not require all children to attend school, however, it did set up a structure in case this changed. Education became both valued nationalistically and simultaneously feared- it was viewed as a tool that could further progress England/Wales in terms of youth and industry, however, it also signified the progression of the lower classes, which was viewed as threatening to some. Religion was a large point of contention in passing this act, as some believed education and religion should be kept separate and others did not.

https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/livinglearning/school/overview/1870educationact/

https://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=3232

Henry Paget- 5th Marquess of Anglesey

Henry Paget was a British nobleman of the Victorian period who sparked discusson during the time about assumptions from the public that he was queer. He experimented with his style all the time, transcending gender roles of the time, which left a lot of people curious to know what the motivation behind this play with style originated from. He did not accept or confine to the Victorian societal impositions on gender or sexuality. He was his own person who enjoyed wearing different types of outfits and colors. Some people of the time associated his confidence disposition with homoexuality, but there are no primary documents in existence that can confirm his sexual orientation. 

Sources:

https://www.storiel.cymru/blog/the-dancing-marquess/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Paget,_5th_Marquess_of_Anglesey

https://cadw.gov.wales/gay-aristocracy-victorian-wales

Implementation of the Married Women's Property Act 1882

The Married Women's Property Act 1882, which followed the earlier Married Women's Property Act 1870, was implemented into British law in 1883. The law greatly expanded the rights of married women to be able to maintain their financial independence, which extended into areas such as income or inheritance. In addition, women could now keep their property upon marriage, which made the prospect of marriage less devastating for women who had more to lose from the potential of a relationship souring at some point in the future. While the act did not resolve many of the inequalities between men and women both legally and societally, it was a massive victory for women's rights activists who had been left unsatisfied by the 1870 iteration of the act. 

In the United Kingdom, the Married Women's Property Act 1882 would begin opening many new opportunities for women, and the rights granted within the act would be the basis for future arguments about women having right independent of their spouses. Certain aspects of the law actually gave more responsibility to women, such as being held liable for financial support of their children. This reflected how legislators began to have a gradually shifting view on women and their role in society. Importantly, this shift in status included a decision once and for all that women could not legally be treated just as the property of a spouse. 

Amy Levy's The Romance of a Shop, which was published in 1888, would have been written after this act was passed into law. As a result, the Lorimer sisters would be able to maintain ownership of their studio and business when they married their respective husbands.

The Safety Bike

In the 1870s and 1880s, the high-wheeler, also known as the penny-farthing, became prominent. With a large front wheel and a smaller rear wheel, it allowed for greater speed but was also dangerous due to its instability. This era saw cycling clubs forming and the sport gaining traction. However, the bicycles of this era were more seen for thrill-seekers and children. It was considered an odd sight to see a women on a bike. When the safety bicycle was invented and popularized in the 1880s, they became more accessible to everyone and were easier to ride. Two wheels of the same size and the chain-drive system allowed for everyone to ride, including women. This marked an important movement during the era because for one, it meant that women were not wearing dresses as often (you can't wear one while riding a bike comfortably). It also meant they were granted autonomy to move around whenever and wherever they wanted. This excitement was published in periodicals, books, etc., and was also a nice way to bring together "New Women" over something they all cared about.

The Contagious Diseases Act is Repealed

Josephine Butler

Josephine Butler led the Ladies’ National Association for Repeal of the Acts as a way to oppose the Contagious Diseases Act. Her argument was that the Act violated women’s fundamental rights by allowing them to be imprisoned without a verdict by a jury of peers. Opposition on the grounds of discrimination was also very strong, due to the fact that the Act applied only to women and not men. Notable women who went against the act include Mary Carpenter, Elizabeth Blackwell, Harriet Martineau, and Florence Nightingale. 

In 1886 when the act was repealed, it was still widely supported by the British Parliament, despite the fact that it constituted a violation of women’s basic liberties. It was likely only repealed because of growing evidence that it was entirely ineffective in combating the prevalence of venereal diseases–the goal it was put in place to achieve.

Hamilton, Margaret. “Opposition to the Contagious Diseases Acts, 1864-1886.” Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies, vol. 10, no. 1, 1978, pp. 14–27. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/4048453. Accessed 24 Mar. 2024.

Amy Levy, Romance of a Shop

Published in 1888

Oscar Wilde, Picture of Dorian Gray

Published in 1889,1891

The Cleveland Street Scandal

In 1889, a year where sexual acts between men were illegal in Britain, a male brothel was discovered in London's West End. Many of the people who attended the brothel were of high standing, such as Lord Arthur Somerset, who worked for the Prince of Wales. The brothel was discovered because of a 15-year-old telegraph boy, who was found in another investigation having more money than would make sense for his job. The boy admitted that he had earned the money as a prostitute for a man named Charles Hammond, on 19 Cleveland street. Several of the men who were found attending the brothel were arrested, including the telegraph boy. The story was initially hidden by the press, but then newspaper coverage began to come out about the aristocrats who were found at the brothel, and the light sentences they received (because of their status). This added to the general attitude about homosexuality as being related to aristocracy. 

The Trials of Oscar Wilde

Sketch of the closing trial scene in Illustrated Police News, 5/4/1895

When the Marquess of Queensbury, Alfred Douglas' father, discovered his and Wilde's relationship, he was displeased to say the least. Following on the heels of several blackmail attempts, the Marquess' attempts to break the pair up became increasingly volatile, escalating from threatening hotel and restaurant staff to turn the men out, to showing up at Wilde's house with the intention of enacting violence. He harrassed his son through letters, even after he had already denounced him and cut him off, and tried to disrupt performances of Wilde's plays. Finally, Wilde had Queensbury arrested and charged with libel for spreading allegations of Wilde's homosexuality, which unfortunately backfired tremendously. Assuring his soliciters and lawyers of his innocence against these baseless rumours, and lying in the court room, the trial did not go Wilde's way. Using his letters to Douglas as well as his own novels (Dorian Gray included), the defense created a solid foundation regarding the expression of Wilde's perverted homosexual tendencies.

Due to the Criminal Law Amendment Act in 1895, which criminalized same sex relationships, Wilde did not just lose the libel case; he was prosecuted as a sodomite himself. The trials were widely followed and spoken about, and the first jury could not reach a verdict on most of the charges. This time, the government took an incredibly aggressive position on the case, possibly because the Prime Minister was being bribed by Queensbury after his own affair with Francis Douglas. Wilde's lawyer emphasized his writing abilities when urging the jury (and society) to look upon him favorably and drop the case, which ultimately went ignored; Wilde was found guilty, served jail time, and the public view of homosexuals became horrifically harsh and intolerant. 

Wilde, being an incredibly iconic individual, gave many responses both inside of and outside of court regarding this set of cirsumstances, perhaps none more memorable than when he answered a question about one of Douglas' lines of poetry: "'The love that dare not speak its name' in this century is such great affection of an elder for a younger man as there was between David and Jonathan, such as Plato made the very basis of his philosophy, and such as you find in the sonnets of Michelangelo and Shakespeare. It is that deep, spiritual affection that is as pure as it is perfect. It dictates and pervades great works of art like those of Shakespeare and Michelangelo, and those two letters of mine, such as they are. It is in this century misunderstood, so much misunderstood that it may be described as the 'Love that dare not speak its name,' and on account of it I am placed where I am now. It is beautiful, it is fine, it is the noblest form of affection. There is nothing unnatural about it. It is intellectual, and it repeatedly exists between an elder and a younger man, when the elder man has intellect, and the younger man has all the joy, hope and glamour of life before him. That it should be so the world does not understand. The world mocks it and sometimes puts one in the pillory for it."