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Victorian Times
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This page is devoted to all things Victorian. When we moved to a small town in central Virginia a few years ago, I fell in love with the big old victorian homes. I studied the architecture at the local library, which led to learning many other things about the victorian lifestyle. Please click on a link to enter the room of your choice.
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The Architechture
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The Dressing Room
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The Servants' Hall 		rose
The Garden






The Dressing Room

lady The Victorian dress was constricting, to say the least. Men and women both wore many layers of clothing, winter or summer. Jewelry and ornamentation were often used. Hats were large and heavy. Women carried parasols and reticules (small drawstring purses). They wore gloves all year long. The children looked like little adults - they were often dressed identically to their parents!


clothing
Wealthy Women
child's clothing
Children's clothing
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"Salon"
plain dress
Not-so-wealthy

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The Architecture

queen anne The Architecture consisted of several different styles. Represented here is the Queen Anne style, featuring turrets, porches, and many doors and windows. These homes were usually finished with different sidings - clapboard, "fish scale", shingle, and sometimes stucco.

italianate Now we have an example of the Italianate style, based on the Italian villa.
gothic Here is an example of Gothic architecture. It is reminiscent of medieval times.

victorian Victorian style included porches for many uses, steep roofs, and clapboard siding. The cast-iron fence was typical in urban areas.
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The Servants' Hall

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The wealthy victorian household was a very interesting place. It was staffed by a butler, a cook, and a coachman. There were maids to wait on the ladies (a man had his valet), and maids to clean the house. The cook had scullery maids, the coachman had stable boys, the valet had a bootblack, and the ladies' maids had "tweenies", to run up and down the stairs between floors! A victorian household could feed and clothe many, many people.
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garden

The Garden

The Victorian Garden was a beautiful Place. Usually in the shape of a square or circle, gardens were well-thought out, balanced, and symmetrical. They included flowers for cutting, roses, herbs (near the kitchen), and privet hedges to line the edges and paths. Victorian gardens also had trellises, gazebos, archways, and benches for sitting. Many Homes had indoor gardens, or conservatories,where exotic plants and orchids could be grown all year long.


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