March 31, 2008
Nineteenth Century Gossip Girls
Extra! Extra!

This call has been heard on street corners for decades from many a young lad laden with newspapers and popular articles. Nowadays, this is saved only for films as magazines, newspapers and current times articles litter the stands of any and all convenience and grocery stores.

The content that carry these articles has changed drastically as well, as time has gone by. Magazines nowadays are littered with stories of overbearing and non-"underwear"-ing starlets who binge away their lives.

With such terribly written and pointless articles, it's hard to imagine that magazines were essentially invented during the mid-nineteenth century, or what was more commonly known as the Victorian era. Of course, there was a much greater variety in the Victorian era; there were of course the essential newspapers such as the London Times and the Standard, there were articles as well as penny novelettes which held interesting stories of fiction written poetically and often in prose form.

However, these articles often held tid-bits about the famous and elite of the time, which could be seen as the beginning of the rampant Britney and Paris exposés. Although in Queen Victoria's time, neither the paparazzi nor the general public were nearly as interested in reporting on, and reading about every annoying nuance about these said starlets!

Here are some "magazines" as they appeared during the Victorian era:





posted at 9:16 PM - 0 comments
My Victorian Home


Above is a picture of my house in Maple Ridge. My parents had it designed based on an 1880's Victorian home in Richmond, called the London Heritage Farm House. Our house is an example of the resurgence in popularity of Victorian-style homes that is currently taking place. There are many companies specializing in designing and building replica-Victorian homes, with gothic-inspired architecture, "gingerbread" wood detailing, and wrap-around porches.

Victorian-inspired style is also very popular now in interior design and decorating. The use of bold, botanical wallpaper, deep red- and blue- and green-painted walls, antique (or replica) furniture and accessories like clocks and vases, and oriental details (from Victorian Empire-building) are all aspects of Victorian decorating which have remained popular. Below is a picture of my living room (the couch is not antique but a replica, and more comfortable than it looks):



In our house, as you can see, we are literally surrounded by influences of the Victorian era.

Posted by Jennifer.
posted at 5:29 PM - 1 comments

About
The Blog:

Created by five SFU students for Dr. Stephen Ogden's English 206 class, this blog is, simply put, just for show. We are interested in the idea of "Victorian Cool," or more specifically how Victorian aesthetics are experiencing a resurgence in popularity. The posts in this blog are materialism at its finest; fashion, architecture, jewelry, furniture, and whatever else catches our eye. Why has this brand of Victorianism re-entered mass culture? Read the blog and find out!


The Contributors:

Jill
Melissa
Alison
Jennifer
Sarah



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