Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

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550

Victorians 550-

Under the rUle of QUeen Victoria, the British people enjoyed

a long period of prosperity. Profits gained from the empire overseas, as well as

from industrial improvements at home, allowed a large, educated middle class

to develop. Great advances were made in the arts and sciences. in the cities,

department stores were opened for the convenience of those with cash to

spend. domestic servants were employed in many homes, although vast

numbers of people remained poor and lived in slums. Public transportation,

police forces, clean water supplies, and sewage treatment were introduced to

ease conditions in the new towns. like Victoria, middle-class people set high

moral standards and devised programs to “improve” the lives of the poor.

the Victorians thought

themselves the most

advanced society

in the world.

crystal Palace

in 1851, a new building was erected in

hyde Park, london, to house the Great

exhibition. it was made entirely of glass

and cast iron. Joseph Paxton designed it

so that it could be moved later and

rebuilt in south london.

QUeen Victoria

Victoria (1819-1901) is best

remembered dressed all in black

and in mourning for her husband

albert, who died in 1861. Queen

Victoria had great dignity and was

highly respected by her subjects.

domestic life

servants were a feature of

every upper- and middle-class

household. Maids worked

long hours for little or no pay,

sometimes only for board

and lodging. in 1871, one third

of British women aged 12 to

20 were “in service.”

Black

grate

polish

Saint Pancras

station

Victorian style

Victorians loved elaborate

decoration. almost all Victorian

objects, from lampposts to

teaspoons, were covered in

carvings, patterns, and other

ornamentation. large houses

and public buildings, such as saint

Pancras station, london (below),

were built in the style of ancient

castles, cathedrals, and palaces.

the Great exhiBition

in 1851, Prince albert organized the first international exhibition in Britain.

More than six million people visited the crystal Palace (above) to celebrate

the industrial age. the 14,000 exhibits included a 24-ton lump of coal,

a railway engine, the Koh-i-noor diamond from india, and a stuffed elephant.

Egg

whisk

Laundry

starch

Servant’s

bell

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