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See Also
See Again
© Shutterstock
0 / 31 Fotos
Asylums
- Tours of mental institutions were commonplace during this era. Visitors would be allowed to walk through an asylum and mock patients.
© Shutterstock Getty Images
1 / 31 Fotos
Asylums
- The thing is, some people didn't even belong there. They were totally sane! (Photo: Wikimedia/CC by 4.0)
© Wikimedia/Creative Commons
2 / 31 Fotos
Marriage - You might think it was normal for women back in that era to marry young. But in fact it was the opposite.
© Shutterstock
3 / 31 Fotos
Marriage - Women during the Victorian era tended not to marry until around the age of 26. It wasn't until the 20th century that the average age began to fall.
© Shutterstock
4 / 31 Fotos
White wedding - And speaking of marriages, it was Queen Victoria who started the white wedding dress trend, upon her marriage to Albert.
© Public Domain
5 / 31 Fotos
White wedding - She wore this stunning white dress. A gown fit for a queen!
© Getty Images
6 / 31 Fotos
Black - It was also after Queen's Victoria wedding that black became a color of mourning, with black attire worn at funerals.
© Shutterstock
7 / 31 Fotos
Black - Back then industrialized cities suffered from major pollution. Black was the sensible color to wear as things like coal ash didn't show up as much on dark materials.
© Getty Images
8 / 31 Fotos
Pollution - Their biggest cause of pollution problems were factory smoke, animal waste, human waste leaking from sewers, and rotting food being discarded in the streets.
© Shutterstock
9 / 31 Fotos
Pollution
- The smell was so bad that city visitors would often get sick from the stench. Train conductors would warn folks to get their smelling salts out as they reached their destination.
© Shutterstock
10 / 31 Fotos
London fog - London fog was everywhere. No, not the tea. There was an actual pea soup "smog" that greatly affected London, all due to extreme pollution levels.
© iStock
11 / 31 Fotos
London fog - The combination of smoke from factory fires and fog rolling off the River Thames made for an extremely thick, heavy mist that made it hard to see and breathe.
© iStock
12 / 31 Fotos
Alcohol - Even the water was polluted and highly contaminated due to the sewage creeping into well water. For this reason people drank a lot of alcohol instead.
© Shutterstock
13 / 31 Fotos
Alcohol - Alcohol was the only thing that was guaranteed germ-free and able to kill bacteria. It wasn't uncommon to see even pregnant women guzzling booze!
© Getty Images
14 / 31 Fotos
Corsets - Corsets were fatal. Some were so tight they served as appetite suppressants, and there are accounts of women dying just from not being able to breath!
© Shutterstock
15 / 31 Fotos
Corsets - It wasn't unusual to see waists as small as 53-55 cm (21-22 in).
© iStock
16 / 31 Fotos
Morbid - People in the Victorian era were unusually obsessed with death. Considering all the pollution, disease, and food poisonings, it really is no wonder, since deaths were so frequent.
© Shutterstock
17 / 31 Fotos
Morbid - Funerals for the dead were social events involving cake, and even taking photos of the dead. This practice was called "memento mori."
© Shutterstock
18 / 31 Fotos
Psychics - Because of their creepy fixation with death, it is only natural that psychics took advantage of this and made a lot of money during the era. Fake, gimmicky photographs of past loved ones were shown to those who sought out a psychic.
© Shutterstock
19 / 31 Fotos
Psychics - People's fascination with the unknown allowed the psychic industry to flourish. Hosting psychics and spiritualists at parties, where the sole purpose was to communicate and connect with the dead, was popular in plenty of circles.
© Shutterstock
20 / 31 Fotos
Sexuality - Anything sexual during the era was looked down upon and taboo.
© Shutterstock
21 / 31 Fotos
Sexuality - Perhaps it was because of this that the pornography industry was another business that prospered during the era.
© Shutterstock
22 / 31 Fotos
Human zoos - If you were not white during the Victorian age, you were not really seen as a person.
© Shutterstock
23 / 31 Fotos
Human zoos - In fact, white people of the time saw anyone of any other race as animals and sadly, human zoos were a shameful reality. Races from all over the world were dressed up in tribal wear and even made to act like animals.
© Public Domain
24 / 31 Fotos
Egypt
- Egypt was the trendy "it" spot, and the top travel destination of the times.
© iStock
25 / 31 Fotos
Egypt - People would go in search of big game, or old and mysterious artifacts—some even brought back mummies.
© iStock
26 / 31 Fotos
Fern hunting - Fern hunting was an actual leisure activity during the Victorian era.
© Public Domain
27 / 31 Fotos
Fern hunting - Collecting ferns became such a popular pastime that some exotic flora became extinct due to overhunting.
© Public Domain
28 / 31 Fotos
'English As She Is Spoke' - A popular read at the time was a book called 'English As She Is Spoke,' by Pedro Carolino.
© Public Domain
29 / 31 Fotos
'English As She Is Spoke'
- Carolino was a Portuguese man who didn't speak English and yet created a document filled with humorous literal translations. The result was a totally unintelligible yet comical piece of work. See also: The weirdest royals throughout history
© Shutterstock
30 / 31 Fotos
© Shutterstock
0 / 31 Fotos
Asylums
- Tours of mental institutions were commonplace during this era. Visitors would be allowed to walk through an asylum and mock patients.
© Shutterstock Getty Images
1 / 31 Fotos
Asylums
- The thing is, some people didn't even belong there. They were totally sane! (Photo: Wikimedia/CC by 4.0)
© Wikimedia/Creative Commons
2 / 31 Fotos
Marriage - You might think it was normal for women back in that era to marry young. But in fact it was the opposite.
© Shutterstock
3 / 31 Fotos
Marriage - Women during the Victorian era tended not to marry until around the age of 26. It wasn't until the 20th century that the average age began to fall.
© Shutterstock
4 / 31 Fotos
White wedding - And speaking of marriages, it was Queen Victoria who started the white wedding dress trend, upon her marriage to Albert.
© Public Domain
5 / 31 Fotos
White wedding - She wore this stunning white dress. A gown fit for a queen!
© Getty Images
6 / 31 Fotos
Black - It was also after Queen's Victoria wedding that black became a color of mourning, with black attire worn at funerals.
© Shutterstock
7 / 31 Fotos
Black - Back then industrialized cities suffered from major pollution. Black was the sensible color to wear as things like coal ash didn't show up as much on dark materials.
© Getty Images
8 / 31 Fotos
Pollution - Their biggest cause of pollution problems were factory smoke, animal waste, human waste leaking from sewers, and rotting food being discarded in the streets.
© Shutterstock
9 / 31 Fotos
Pollution
- The smell was so bad that city visitors would often get sick from the stench. Train conductors would warn folks to get their smelling salts out as they reached their destination.
© Shutterstock
10 / 31 Fotos
London fog - London fog was everywhere. No, not the tea. There was an actual pea soup "smog" that greatly affected London, all due to extreme pollution levels.
© iStock
11 / 31 Fotos
London fog - The combination of smoke from factory fires and fog rolling off the River Thames made for an extremely thick, heavy mist that made it hard to see and breathe.
© iStock
12 / 31 Fotos
Alcohol - Even the water was polluted and highly contaminated due to the sewage creeping into well water. For this reason people drank a lot of alcohol instead.
© Shutterstock
13 / 31 Fotos
Alcohol - Alcohol was the only thing that was guaranteed germ-free and able to kill bacteria. It wasn't uncommon to see even pregnant women guzzling booze!
© Getty Images
14 / 31 Fotos
Corsets - Corsets were fatal. Some were so tight they served as appetite suppressants, and there are accounts of women dying just from not being able to breath!
© Shutterstock
15 / 31 Fotos
Corsets - It wasn't unusual to see waists as small as 53-55 cm (21-22 in).
© iStock
16 / 31 Fotos
Morbid - People in the Victorian era were unusually obsessed with death. Considering all the pollution, disease, and food poisonings, it really is no wonder, since deaths were so frequent.
© Shutterstock
17 / 31 Fotos
Morbid - Funerals for the dead were social events involving cake, and even taking photos of the dead. This practice was called "memento mori."
© Shutterstock
18 / 31 Fotos
Psychics - Because of their creepy fixation with death, it is only natural that psychics took advantage of this and made a lot of money during the era. Fake, gimmicky photographs of past loved ones were shown to those who sought out a psychic.
© Shutterstock
19 / 31 Fotos
Psychics - People's fascination with the unknown allowed the psychic industry to flourish. Hosting psychics and spiritualists at parties, where the sole purpose was to communicate and connect with the dead, was popular in plenty of circles.
© Shutterstock
20 / 31 Fotos
Sexuality - Anything sexual during the era was looked down upon and taboo.
© Shutterstock
21 / 31 Fotos
Sexuality - Perhaps it was because of this that the pornography industry was another business that prospered during the era.
© Shutterstock
22 / 31 Fotos
Human zoos - If you were not white during the Victorian age, you were not really seen as a person.
© Shutterstock
23 / 31 Fotos
Human zoos - In fact, white people of the time saw anyone of any other race as animals and sadly, human zoos were a shameful reality. Races from all over the world were dressed up in tribal wear and even made to act like animals.
© Public Domain
24 / 31 Fotos
Egypt
- Egypt was the trendy "it" spot, and the top travel destination of the times.
© iStock
25 / 31 Fotos
Egypt - People would go in search of big game, or old and mysterious artifacts—some even brought back mummies.
© iStock
26 / 31 Fotos
Fern hunting - Fern hunting was an actual leisure activity during the Victorian era.
© Public Domain
27 / 31 Fotos
Fern hunting - Collecting ferns became such a popular pastime that some exotic flora became extinct due to overhunting.
© Public Domain
28 / 31 Fotos
'English As She Is Spoke' - A popular read at the time was a book called 'English As She Is Spoke,' by Pedro Carolino.
© Public Domain
29 / 31 Fotos
'English As She Is Spoke'
- Carolino was a Portuguese man who didn't speak English and yet created a document filled with humorous literal translations. The result was a totally unintelligible yet comical piece of work. See also: The weirdest royals throughout history
© Shutterstock
30 / 31 Fotos
Funny or absurd facts about the Victorian era
Weird things you didn't know about
© Shutterstock
Did you know that corsets could be deadly? How about the fact that people used to hunt plants?
Based on a list from Guff, click through the gallery for a glimpse at the bizarre and mind-boggling things people of the Victorian era were getting up to.
What funny or absurd things are we doing now that folks in the future might look back upon and wonder about?
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