Victoria's Umbrella, Our Decades Under The Reign

JPK Huson 1863

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Feb 14, 2012
Location
Central Pennsylvania
vic very young crop.jpg

Alexandrina Victoria, around the time her father died- so a Queen. Such a little, pretty young woman, hard to imagine her imprint over 60 years. Imprints. We owe her a span of an improbable 60 years we call an era.

Sorry couldn't resist thread title. Words are like Legos, you can build anything.

We may not have been her subjects but you'd never know it. I'm not convinced we remember why the word ' Victorian ' is so pervasive. Here's why. From that day in 1837 when Lord Conyngham and The Archbishop of Canterbury brought Alexandrina Victoria, last of the House of Hanover the news she was Queen, to her death at Osborne 63 years, seven months two days elapsed. 1901. Six decades of History was written during those decades, her stamp all the heck all over them. Destinies of entire countries had been decided for good or ill, with her stamp all the heck all over them.

The United States entangled itself in Alexandrina Victoria's destiny, too. Our Civil War created widows across this country and a hugely famous one 3,000 away. Already unwell, husband Albert famously intervened in the Trent Affair. His diplomacy succeeded in laying badly ruffled ( and armed ) feathers but probably cost him his life. That was 1861. They'd been married 21 years. Victoria famously mourned her husband for decades and I'm not sure I blame her. Albert would have been irreplaceable.

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1861, Victoria's dress could have been taken straight from a war years issue of Godey's ( and was probably copied by every society matron North and South ). Not that she'd have cared- 1861 took Albert from her.

So we, American citizens became erstwhile Brits, living under the far brim of her 63 year umbrella. 63 years imprinted itself on us to the point we still view all those decades in a kind of nostalgic clump called " Victorian ". All 16 of my great great grandparents were born in the decade following 1837. They're the Civil War generation, my 8 great grandparents were born during Victoria's time in office ( ' on the throne ' is a little inaccurate, implying 60 years sitting down somewhere ), grandparents came along around the time she died. Think about it! This era we study was Victorian, sure, but which part?

From 63 years ago today, walking through History's door into 1956 would be serious culture shock. Cadillac had just glued fins on luxury cars, Elvis had recently shocked the blue rinse out of elderly women's hair swiveling Hound Dog hips on Lawrence Welker's show, Dwight was President under a 48 star flag, WWII vets were raising the Booming Babies, a computer took up a large room and could successfully count and Lawrence Olivier was giving us Richard III. Oh, and Marilyn Monroe married Arthur Miller. Getting dressed for the wedding must gotten her up early that day. Struggling into girdles and those awful, clip rimmed elastic bands holding up her nylons took awhile.

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Early married life, sometime in the 1840's- if we counted back from 2019 and compared her reign, by 1901 this outfit would have been like wearing saddle shoes. Or penny loafers.

63 years! Impossible documenting all the changes. We went from comic book stories about spaceships to walking on the moon to veritable bus stops in space where astronauts from way down here hang out. Hemlines hiked slowlyyyy from mid calf to knee, dove and really, really hiked to the point where it was a poor idea to pick up that dropped quarter. Get you arrested. 63 years but it's not a clump called anything but History.

Back to 1837 . Fashion, more women's than men's illustrate changes and is extremely handy, too. You know who you're dealing with in some orphaned photo for - which tells you an awful lot of someone's world, who they were and from what vantage point in History they viewed their world. Thanks to Alexandrina Victoria's staying power it can be tough ascertaining much from ' Victorian '. Gee whiz. Three generations worth of changes, thank you, Victoria!
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The mutton sleeves, flying buttress bosums and bun seated on a nest of fluffy hair ( that isn't a fashion term, just made that up ) of 1895 are seen in profile in this photo of Victoria ( and daughter? ), 6 years of reign to go. Someone must be sitting while wearing a bustle- and congrats to her.

She'd have worn the svelte, tight waisted, clinging dress ( the one with puffed sleeves, tight wrists and drooping lace collar ) at the time, when ascending that throne, Regency England making the transition. We're a little lucky photography made an appearance around the time of her 1840 wedding, easy enough following her era although that's a bad word in which to stuff 6 decades. What's funny is we Yanks break it down variously- ' pre-war ', ' Civil War era ' and ' post war '. Civil War era photos of Victoria give us short jackets, hoops and climbing necklines, post war, the crimped hair, rows of pleated and dragging hems, ginormous hats decked with everything from ships to peonies and that crazy bustle- proof she couldn't sit much on a throne or anywhere. There was one constant. A veil she wore at her wedding is worn for one of her last portraits, around 1900.

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From 1837 to 1901- Victoria, we hardly know ye.
 
Well done overall but a small quibble:

The Trent Affair was not a proximate cause of the Prince Consort's death. I am aware that some contemporary sources - likely all drawing on the one single source - claim that the strain and worry over helping to draft the official British response somehow contributed to his demise, but this is inaccurate.

For years it was believed that the Prince died of typhus. His personal physician believed it to be so. More recent research, however, has led to the conclusion that in reality it was Crohns disease.

In truth, the difference in symptoms is small and largely irrelevant for our pruposes except that either way he was the victim of a cronic, debilitating illness, under which his health gradually deteriorated over a period of two years or more.

(The main reason we do not know for certain what killed him is that Victoria adamantly refused to allow an autopsy)

The most which can fairly be said of the man - and I am a great admirer and appreciate the recognition he's receiving as a result of the BBC1 series - is that he was in a very advanced stage of his final bout with his illness when he worked on the Trent response.

That he did so is a measure of how important he thought it to be, which he demonstrated by working through what must have been extreme pain. Truly extraordinary.

But it did not add or subtract a single minute of his life. The disease was going to take him when it ran it's course. He chose to use those last days in an almost heroic effort, but doing so did not contribute to his death.
 
I did manage to watch Victoria's wedding on PBS. It was interesting to me. I'm not much on royalty, because we fought to end that control over this country and I am mostly Scottish and Irish. I watched it for the clothing and other historical aspects of the show. I know many people enjoy the pageantry of the times and all the related aspects. I know something of Victoria's long life and the consequences of her children and grandchildren on European politics. It was still a very enjoyable show.
 
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Annie, I might have lost the intent of your thread as I read along, but I just want you to know that my wife and I watch the PBS series faithfully. Also, one of my favorite movie scenes of ALL TIME is John Wayne in "The Shootist", sitting astride his horse and reading the news of Queen Victoria's death. A rash, crude talking man, who is in a milk delivery wagon, tries to threaten him. Wayne's character says words to the effect of: "Well, pardon me all to hexx."
 
I'm watching "Victoria" also. Not sure how accurate it is but the costumes are fantastic. Reminds me of the "Nicholas and Alexandra" motion picture made in the 70's. That won the Academy award for best costume design. It also brought up the hemophilia issue, as Victoria was a carrier and passed it down generations later.
 
This is a timely post because I happen to be watching the PBS series "Victoria." Chronologically, its up to the late 1840's and I'm looking forward to hearing about her role during the CW.

I saw most of the BBC series and was fascinated. There is also a pretty good movie called "Young Victoria" (or something like that) that is relatively recent also quite good.

The British are awfully forgiving of their venal and cranky monarchs...

ADD: FYI "The Young Victoria" movie released in 2009 see
 
Interesting post, enjoyed reading, but "flying buttress bosums?" Sounds like something guy's would make up. Are these some of those Leggo'd words?

Hah!

Flying buttress is an architectural term associated with Gothic cathedrals and other large building structures.

Our Aunt Bea...
 
Hah!

Flying buttress is an architectural term associated with Gothic cathedrals and other large building structures.

Our Aunt Bea...


Exactly! She was a relic, be sure. The 1880's on up for awhile featured those crazy bustles, corsets which created wasp waists and kinda made women into toothpaste tubes squeezed in the middle- all that anatomy displaced elsewhere. Effect on the more matronly shapes was imposing.

Interesting post, enjoyed reading, but "flying buttress bosums?" Sounds like something guy's would make up. Are these some of those Leggo'd words?


Defied gravity- really improbably. Yes,leggoed- and hadn't thought of it that way but you're right! The thing is, when I was a kid there was still a style holdover- some of the most intimidating, older women of my childhood presented that way, somehow ignoring fashion's passage though intervening decades. Never encountered a bustle, but an awful lot of corsets must have been around.
 
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