The Victorian Era was a world very different from the one we inhabit today. It was also a time of immense change, both for Britain and for the rest of the world. The Victorian Era lasted the duration of Queen Victoria's reign, from June 1837 to 1901. Therefore, it isn't surprising that many changes happened throughout this era.
With the birth of the Victoria Era, brought about many weird ways of life. These weird things about the Victorian Era are anything from harmless eccentricities, from the downright cruel. #10 Christmas Cards The Victorians were the ones who created Christmas cards. Christmas cards today aren't weird, they are usually artworks of Robins, Santas and snowmen. Some Victorian Christmas cards wouldn't look out of place today. However, the Victorians created some weird and creepy cards; cards that you would expect to be sent from the Addams Family. From devilish creatures to dead birds, mice, boiled frogs and mice riding lobsters...it is safe to say that the Victorians had a disturbing and weird taste in cards. #9 Curries Everyday For Queen Victoria
By 1887, Queen Victoria had the taste of her first curry.
Victoria made curry popular in the latter half of her reign. For the remainder of the queen's reign, from 1887, up until her death in 1901, curries would be made on a daily basis, even if the Queen didn't eat the curries herself on a daily basis. #8 The Death Of Charles Dickens Charles Dickens wrote many novels, such as Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol, that were popular during his life and still remain popular today. The author died when he was only 58 years old. That's not the strange part. The weird thing is, Charles Dickens died when he was writing a murder mystery novel called The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Dickens had only written half of the novel at the time of his death; leaving the killer of The Mystery of Edwin Drood unknown. Although there has been speculation as to who the killer in the novel was, the only person who knew who that killer was, was Dickens himself. It was a mystery he took to his grave. #7 Washing Your Hair With Egg Yolk The Victorians weren't well known for being - clean. The streets were filthy, the disease was rife and cleanliness was a rarity amongst the Victorian population; especially if you were a poorer Victorian. Things like commercial shampoo as we know it today, wasn't available. It wasn't until the 1930s that commercial shampoo as we know it came into existence; long after the Victorian Era had gone. So, what did people use during the 19th century, before commercial shampoo came into existence? They used egg yolk; which is pretty weird. However, even today, some people will wash their hair with egg yolk. #6 Actresses Were Treated Like Prostitutes To be an actress in the Victorian Era, was akin to being a prostitute. Being an actress was synonymous with being a prostitute in this era. Victorians looked down on actresses; the actresses of this time were seen as immoral. Social attitudes saw the profession as morally corrupt; it was a profession that was frowned upon in this era. This was not a unique attitude amongst Victorians. The attitudes towards those in the acting profession was the same in the Elizabethan Era. #5 The Titanic Disaster Was Predicted Fourteen years before the Titanic disaster, a book called The Wreck of the Titan was published, in 1898. This book seems to have predicted the Titanic disaster. It is a story about an ocean liner called the Titan, which hits an iceberg on its way across the Atlantic. The Titan, like the Titanic, did not have enough lifeboats to save everyone and sank after hitting the iceberg. #4 Dentures Made From The Dead Health care and dental care during this era wasn't in the same standard as it is today. Much of the health care and dental care that we take for granted today, wasn't available during the Victorian Era. When it came to dentistry, this isn't an era you wouldn't have wanted to be around in. Dentistry at this time was pretty horrific, and in this case, creepy too! If you lost your teeth in this period of history, you had several options to choose from - none of them particularly appealing. Dentures were made out of wood, animal bones and even from the mouths of the dead. Literally. Dentures were sometimes made from the teeth of dead people in this period of history. Some of these teeth came from the teeth being extracted from dead corpses from their grave - dig up corpses in this era was common. #3 Taxidermy
Taxidermy was a weird, popular and disturbing hobby of many Victorians.
This weird hobby not only saw Victorians stuff dead animals, but also dress them in Victorian like clothing, while doing human-like these. These human-like things would be like stuffed animals sat around a table, or sitting at desks as if they were writing. The Victorians weren't that choosy in which animals they used for taxidermy - they even used pets, such as the kittens above.
#2 Seeing Mental Asylums As Entertainment
One of the most disturbing and weird things about the Victorian Era was their views and attitudes towards the mentally ill. The Victorians did not only treat the mentally ill cruelly, they treated the mentally ill as a source of entertainment. Literally. The Victorian Era became infamous for its treatment of patients within mental asylums. Patients within these asylums were treated similarly to animals in circuses; they were used as a source of entertainment for those who could afford to pay for that 'entertainment.' #1 Photographing The Dead Without a doubt, the weirdest thing about the Victorian Era is that they literally photographed the dead. Some Victorians posed their dead for photographs, as their dead relative was still alive - either taking a photo of the dead relative on their own or posing with their dead relative as if it was just a normal family photo shoot. This practice wasn't just norm in Victorian Britain, it was common throughout Europe and North America. It was known as post-mortem photography and was probably as creepy as you can get from this era. What do you think?
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