An Overview of the Victorian Era
The Victorian era is given the general time frame of the 63-year reign of Queen Victoria in Britain from her coronation in June 1837 to her death in January 1901. The period is characterized by a remarkable social and political change that was accordingly reflected in the art forms and types as well. The long peace that continued throughout Queen Victoria’s rule, known as Pax Brittanica (from Latin meaning British Peace), provided for the flourish of political, philosophy, literature and the visual and decorative arts as well as architecture.
Prosperity Leads to Growth in the Arts
The prosperity in Britain, thanks to the Asian and Australian colonies of the British Empire and the fast industrialization of the country led to the formation of a wealthy middle class, which in turn made the works of designers, craftsmen and artisans more widely used and admired. The interior design had strict rules and repeated patterns, but its focus was primarily on the decorative objects. Industrialization and the new scientific and technological discoveries that were numerous during the era provided for the creation of new arts such as photography and for the improvement and innovation of design and crafting techniques. More people had access to education, which was the main prerequisite for the spread of new ideas in all areas of life, art and trade. Communication was becoming faster and the mobility of the single person as well as large groups of people made trends more widely influential. The performance arts also flourished with theatrical, dance and music performances being widely attended.
The Birth of Fashion and Shopping as We Know Them Today
Despite the fact that the Victorian Era is generally renowned for its high morality that often coincided with prudishness, womens fashion and its trends, as well as shopping as we know it today, both had their origins exactly during the Victorian period. This in turn led to jewelry and other accessories increasing their significance as part of the whole outfit.
An Era of Eclectic Styles
The Victorian Era decorative arts and architecture were characterized by an eclectic style that was primarily influenced by the past historic art forms. The Goth art works were a particular inspiration for the architects and interior designers making silverware and pottery decorative items. The Gothic Revival movement became significantly influential especially through the ideas of art critic and thinker John Ruskin who proclaimed the Goth style to be bringing social and moral values rather than a focus on the standard forms. The conflict between the Classical style and the Goth one became known as the Battle of the Styles and was primarily a matter for debate rather than having any practical consequences. The vernacular and Queen Ann styles would later in the epoch replace both in terms of influence and significance. The Rococo and Neo-Classical designs did not lose their significance with the former being given a new life and meaning in the works of British artists and designers.
During the latter half of the Victorian Era the influence of the arts and culture of Asia and the Orient became more significant and even a particular Anglo-Japanese styled appeared, which influenced designers such as Christopher Dresser. The Arts and Crafts Movement, which was formed during the same period, was the artistic reaction against the eclectic historic revivalist style of the era and the industrialized machine manufacturing and mass production. Designers such as William Morris focused on the soul and nature of things with the personal perspective being leading in their works. Hand-crafting was also regained its former glory with some remarkable masterpiece works, but failed to replace the use of technology. The materials used by decorative artists and craftsmen did not change significantly, although more metals apart from the traditional iron and silver became popular. The eclectic Victorian style made traditional tapestry trendy and the fashion designs became more widely spread. This in turn led to the introduction of various textile materials and production techniques. The exotic wooden material and gemstones from the colonies were also greatly utilized.
The Royal Family’s Influence on the Arts
The Royal Family – Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert were patrons of the arts and set a number of trends themselves. The Prince was among the founders of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, which organized the first World Fair called Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations (the Great Exhibition) in 1851. Numerous scientific inventions that found their application in the industry as well as in every day life were presented. Innovative decorative art objects such as silverware and pottery items, interior design solutions and functional home appliances as well as jewelry designs were widely popularized thanks to the fair, which was visited by six million people. The Crystal Palace Building, in which the Great Exhibition was held, was also a monumental architectural design symbolizing the Victorian Era.
Interior Design Gains Importance
The importance of the interior design and decoration increased immensely throughout the Victorian Era. With the high moral standards and the focus on the propriety, the separation of the rooms in the homes into private and public became significantly important. The decoration of the walls with wallpapers made of different fabrics as well as with tapestries became particularly popular. In the public rooms – the parlor, being the most important one and the dining room the functional and the decorative objects were widely displayed on all available surface space to show the stature of the hosts. The furniture retained its significant role in interior design, but a broader attention was given to the details and ornaments of the decorative pieces.
Continued: The Victorian Era: Design, Art, Silver and Jewelry Part II
