Visualizing the Victorians

Introduction

Charles Dickens's 1843 novella A Christmas Carol features some of his most memorable characters: Ebenezer Scrooge, the book's miserly protagonist; the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future; and Tiny Tim, the son of Scrooge's impoverished employee, Bob Cratchit. This exhibit focuses on Tiny Tim -- a character who does not appear frequently in the text but who plays a vital role in Scrooge's repentance and moral awakening. Tiny Tim is remembered for his failing health, his small crutch, and his line "…

Introduction:

Florence Nightingale is most famously known for her service as a nurse during the Crimean War. Women were still bound to domesticity, therefore her actions as a nurse broke the stereotypes imposed on women in this time period. She took up writing and authored Cassandra, a novella denouncing the Victorian expectations of idleness women were subjected to, which is the central text to this series. Instead of utilizing a gentle approach, Nightingale tears apart the arbitrary societal expectations women and men were forced to follow. Her…

Introduction

Robert Louis Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde published in 1886 is a classic story about Dr. Henry Jekyll and his struggle with self-identity. His counterpart, alter ego, or "other self," is Mr. Edward Hyde. Throughout the novel, Jekyll and Hyde have the illusion of "never being seen in the same room together," which leads to this mystery of "Who is Edward Hyde?" Through many film adaptations throughout the 20th century, Goth-culture lovers have enjoyed watching this incredibly dynamic one-man-duo…

Introduction

Olaudah Equiano tells his story of salvery and the struggle to freedom in his piece The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano. He divides this narrative into four chapters, each one focusing on a different time frame of his story. This exhibit focuses on the fourth and final chapter, Manumission, and his struggle of trusting his owner with his freedom and the overhanging fear of being blindsided by his reliability. The tension in dialogue between Equiano and his master was especially apparent in this chapter as it began with his master refusing to believe Equiano…

Introduction

“The Cry of the Children” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning is a foundational poem in regards to the epidemic of child labor in England in 1843. Victorian poetry tended to focus on themes such as pessimism, realism, and a sense of responsibility. Themes such as these are crucial in regards to creating literature which would still be just as relevant in today’s modern society as they were back in their era. Browning’s use of realism as well as examples of vivid imagery of distressing emotion within children created a piece that was not only a…

Introduction

There seems to be something about classic gothic fiction of the horror variety that creates a lasting impact on viewers and constructs characters that withstand the test of time. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for example, are two such characters that are continuously reimagined every time their story is retold. This showcases the impact Robert Louis Stevenson had when he came up with the dynamic duo in 1886 in his novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Ever since then, people have created their own interpretations of the…

Introduction

“The White Man’s Burden” written by Rudyard Kipling, is an example of latter colonial, pro-imperialist poetry, that supports imperialism on an ethnic or racial basis, rather then a nationalistic one. It also is based on the premise that the true cost of empire is burdened by the conquerors in the case of European imperialism, and that the conquered benefit from the transaction. By 1899, when Rudyard Kipling published the poem, many could have argued that the British Empire was coming to a close, although the serious downfall of the…

The 19th Century Victorian Era: Prostitution 

Introduction: 

During the late 19th century, Oscar Wilde published a book called “The Harlot’s House” that highlights prostitution in London. The poem emphaize a concept in London called the “Great Social Evil”, where prostitution began to rise as women were desperately needed income to support themselves.  

In Wilde’s poem, he writes about what he sees from the outside of the house. Prostitutes were described as ghostly dancers dancing together as their laugher passed through…

Introduction

The Victorian period was an era of reformation. Art took new forms as realism began to depict the grittier and darker tones of the last half of the 19th century. During this time, Florence Nightingale wrote her controversial essay, Cassandra, and condemned the nature of society that inhibited the female intellect and discouraged moral development. While Nightingale was not a typical feminist as she had her own qualms about her gender, she did pave the way for a larger conversation on the female condition during the Victorian…

Introduction

Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde presents a story about a man, Dr. Jekyll, whose personality is split between two different extremes of the human condition. On one end lies the amiable and well-composed Dr. Henry Jekyll, while on the other is the deformed and savage Mr. Edward Hyde. Since its inception, this novella has inspired many direct and indirect adaptations that play off the duality of the human psyche. As a result, the characters of Jekyll and Hyde exist in modern tales, outside…