Victorian era RPG

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Victorian fashion is a set of fashion trends in clothing and accessories characteristic of Great Britain during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901). During the Victorian era, England experienced a period of economic growth and industrial revolution, which had a comprehensive impact on public life, including literature, fine arts, and fashion. During these decades, numerous changes took place in the world of fashion, including changes in styles and trends, manufacturing technologies, and material processing. The mass production of sewing machines in the 1850s and the advent of artificial dyes led to the fact that the process of making clothes became faster and cheaper, which allowed urban residents, including the middle class, to join the world of high fashion. Printed fashion magazines appeared and began to be widely distributed, allowing the mass consumer to follow the latest fashion trends. In addition, Queen Victoria herself set many fashion trends - items that she liked immediately became popular (for example, jewelry with Scottish smoky quartz and opal), and when, after the death of her husband in 1861, the queen wore mourning, the so-called "Victorian death cult" and the mourning fashion associated with it spread throughout the country. At the beginning of Queen Victoria's reign, the aesthetics of romanticism reigned in fashion. This style required a thin and slightly lowered waist. To achieve the desired effect, a special corset was used, which was laced up to the hips. Gradually, the previously huge sleeves became less massive and shortened, the shoulders narrowed, and the bell-shaped skirt lengthened and rapidly gained volume: many layers of starched petticoats were worn under the outer fabric, which were supposed to support the shape of the dress.

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Victorian style is diversity, comfort, respectability and noble luxury. Quality materials, classic furniture, and original exotic decor are used to create the interior. Reproduction of this style emphasizes the high status of the owner, demonstrates his good taste, solidity and thoroughness. The Victorian interior is truly eclectic: it combines romance and reliability, brightness and moderation, wanderlust and home comfort. The Victorian interior style was formed in the second half of the nineteenth century. The development of industry and income flowing to England from the colonies significantly increased the well-being of the middle class. To improve the quality of life and demonstrate wealth, representatives of the bourgeoisie luxuriously furnished their homes. Sophisticated interior items - indicators of aristocracy, have now become available to many. Mass production made them much cheaper, offering budget imitations. However, fakes and shirvzhitok soon went out of fashion and lost popularity. In England, the first interior companies began to appear, which sought to find a balance between art and everyday life. The pursuit of flamboyant luxury in the era of Queen Victoria was a reaction to the "puritan" tastes of the reign of Queen Anne. In addition, in the nineteenth century it became fashionable to travel and bring exotic things from Eastern countries: their presence in the interior indicated that the owner was a versatile person and had seen the world. The specifics of the Victorian style The interior in the Victorian style is eclectic: it harmoniously combines English classics, neo-Gothic, baroque, rococo, renaissance and oriental exoticism. All this can be used in one room or, according to the principle of deconstructivism, be located in separate rooms. As a rule, gothic motifs are used in a personal study or library, rococo elements in boudoirs and bedrooms, and oriental exoticism in the kitchen.

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The living room is usually decorated in the spirit of English classics. Design in the Victorian style is characterized by: fear of emptiness - the premises are filled with furniture and decorative items; high-quality lighting: high windows, chandeliers, wall sconces, floor lamps; predominance of straight lines and arcs; stucco and painting on the ceilings; ornaments on walls and furniture upholstery; Gothic elongated, arched or rectangular windows; massive wooden furniture; a library or at least a reading area; English fireplace; massive doors with brass trim; heavy curtains with drapery; pictures in carved frames. Since the Victorian style of the house involves a large number of furniture, textiles, ornaments and decorative objects, spacious rooms are needed to harmoniously place it all.

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Sensuality was particularly oppressed. Men and women were to forget about their bodies. The only parts of the body that could be exposed at home are hands and face. On the street, men without a raised collar and tie, and women without gloves, were considered naked. It was inappropriate to use the words "hands" and "legs" - only "limbs". At lunch or dinner, there was a "separation of the sexes" - after the end, the women quickly left the table, and the men stayed to drink a glass of port wine, light a cigar and chat. Any display of feelings in public was prohibited. Spouses addressed each other officially - "Mr" or "Mrs". Courtship consisted of ritual conversations and symbolic gestures. A young lady could allow a man to carry his prayer book after the Sunday service - it was already very intimate. The limit of frankness in the testimony was the password "Can I hope?" and the answer to him: "I have to think." A pregnant woman was a sight that affected Victorian morality. It was closed in four walls, hiding the stomach under a dress of a special style. It was unacceptable to mention the word "pregnant" in conversation - only euphemisms - "in an interesting situation", "in happy expectation", etc.

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There were a lot of double standards when it came to sex. What was forbidden for women - adultery, premarital sex - was allowed for men. If a husband exposed his wife to treason, he could count on an immediate divorce. Only a homosexual relationship could destroy a man's reputation. The death penalty for homosexuality was abolished only in 1861. In any case, he did not have to count on the sympathy of society after exposing his homosexuality. Men were not prohibited from visiting brothels and brothels. At the same time, women who allowed themselves frivolous behavior before marriage could not count on marriage in principle. Attitudes toward prostitution also depended on social status. Rich English gentlemen kept official mistresses, it was considered acceptable. For the working class, there were cheap brothels that were breeding grounds for venereal diseases. For the middle class, who did not have the money to keep mistresses, there were brothels, where the health of prostitutes and visitors was given more attention. In the mid-19th century, economy class sex workers cost about 5 shillings per session. In comparison, the wages of an ordinary laborer were about 30 shillings (1.5 pounds) a week. Elite prostitutes charged up to 2 pounds for similar services. The ostentatious morality of the Victorian era and outright debauchery existed side by side. A sin that no one would know about could be afforded.

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For Britain during the Victorian era, the leading ideas of conservatism remain, because most of the British, including the queen herself, were brought up in Protestant traditions. The basis of Victorian morality is the principle of "virtue rewards". There was a clear list of norms of behavior in society, which in later times would be identified with a certain hypocrisy. For conservative Victorian morality, the ideas of individual freedom and liberalism, which developed in parallel in artistic circles, were actually unacceptable. Thus, Victorian Britain was outraged by Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory: he was accused of blaspheming the Holy Scriptures. If a respectable Victorian lady wanted to walk around central London, she had to carefully plan her route so that there was room to relieve herself. This could usually only be done at the home of a friend or relative, as there were no public toilets for women in the city. It was believed that a lady could be very embarrassed by visiting such a place. This position of women was determined by the framework of Victorian morality: a woman is an "angel at home", a mother, a wife, a daughter, and she has nothing to go far or travel, and the public space belongs to men. In the first quarter of the 19th century, emerald-green color was in fashion: both fashionistas who wore green dresses and wealthy ladies who chose this color for their interiors were fascinated by it. The problem is that an extremely toxic pigment was used for dyeing fabrics, carpets and wallpaper - "Scheele green", and a little later - "Paris green". They contained arsenic and led to serious health consequences. It was discovered only in the second half of the 19th century. In the Victorian era, some townspeople bred hedgehogs and kept them in the kitchen: it was believed that they, like no other, were able to fight household insects - bugs and cockroaches.

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In the 1850s and 1860s, the railway became more and more popular. But according to the Victorians, trains were extremely dangerous. They were said to "damage the brain": the sudden movement of the train, combined with the noise of the carriage, would cause anxiety attacks and even drive you crazy. Newspapers fanned the hype about "railway lunatics", colorfully describing the eccentric behavior of men and women who lost their minds during the journey, and the Victorian Railways Ordinance of 1864 stated that such passengers were to be isolated in a separate compartment. However, the excitement about the railway madness soon died down, and the British were able to calmly enjoy the new convenient way of transportation. A Victorian lady could not visit a doctor alone, it was possible only in the presence of a husband or companion. You shouldn't show the place where it hurts - there was a mannequin for that. A gynecological examination was agreed to only in extreme cases, and if it could not be avoided, then it was carried out either under a sheet in a darkened room, or with the help of a screen, which was supposed to separate the doctor and the patient. Paying the doctor was also a problem, because "gentlemen do not work for money." Therefore, bills could not be passed from hand to hand - they were as if accidentally placed on the table wrapped in paper. At home, Victorian ladies wore dresses of a looser cut than in public. Such outfits were called "tea dresses": of course, they were also richly decorated, often had a train, but they could be put on without the help of maids, and they did not require a corset. A "tea" dress could be worn in the family circle or among friends, but it was indecent to appear in public in it.

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In short, the poor class lived very badly and they barely had enough money for bread, they could not even think about meat. The middle class already lived better, ate more diversely and lived in fairly good conditions. Children were constantly beaten as part of their upbringing. The poor class simply hit their ass with their hands, and in such places so as not to damage the bones. The middle class beat children with tree branches . Children were beaten in schools and boarding houses for the sake of upbringing and for minor misdeeds. Women were treated terribly, and they had no rights.