3. "The Canterville Ghost" Gallery ~ Haunted Victorians: An Anthology

During the Victorian era in Europe, there was a modernist art theory known as Formalism. Formalism is described by Professors Dr. Charles Cramer and Dr. Kim Grant as a rejection of “the non-aesthetic goals commonly assigned to art, such as imitation of nature, moral instruction, spiritual exaltation, and emotional expression” (Cramer and Grant, 2020), meaning the work should be experienced as a piece of art without any outside examination. Rather than observing art and applying it to current events, past events, or philosophies, the artwork is experienced within the four sides of the…

During the Victorian Era, railway service was an important transportation factor for both society and the economy. But not just in England, America also used trains for the same purpose. The late 18th century and early 19th century were considered an era of "technical progress" as most transportation would require the use of railways. Therefore, lubricants were used as a common method for train maintenance. Among the lubricants used for railway maintenance, sperm oil was one of the most popular choices as it prevented rust on metals, provided stability for engines, and did not have any…

The photos above depict Oscar Wilde at age twenty seven, photographed by Napoleon Sarony in 1882. The original photos were silver prints made from glass plate negatives and have yellowed from their original black and white appearance over time. In relation to the time the photos were taken an unknown source from The Metropolitan Museum writes, "Wilde went to America in 1882 at the invitation of the New York producer Richard D'Oyly Carte to give a series of lectures on the English Renaissance to promote the opening of D'Oyly Carte's production of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta "Patience…

During the 19th century, jewelry was a marker of social status, it was also highly commodified as we see in mourning jewelry because it allowed people who had passed to be marketable. Mourning was typically made from a lost loved one's hair that would be braided, weaved, or twisted in a fine pattern and then set in a frame; these were also typically engraved with messages.  In terms of non-mourning jewelry of the 19th century, diamonds were very popular with colored gems, opals, moonstones, and pearls gaining popularity in the later years. Jewels pay an important…

"A Private View at the Royal Academy, 1881" was painted by English artist William Powell Frith in 1883. The painting was a masterpiece at its time for it portrayed many famous historical figures like William Gladstone (former Prime Minister of the UK), Henry Irving (an English stage actor during the Victorian era), the artist William Powell Frith himself, and Oscar Wilde (the gentleman with the top hat whom the two ladies and a child wearing green are talking to) (Moore, 2019). The main color tones of the painting are dark, deep shades of red, yellow, and green, which are…

During the Victorian Era, funerals for well-established citizens of society were elaborate affairs. For many wealthy and respected individuals, hundreds of people could be in attendance. There were also prescribed periods of mourning in Victorian England. Each member of a deceased's family had a specific prescribed period of mourning, whether it be parents, children, widows, or grandparents. In Oscar Wilde's The Canterville Ghost, an impressive funeral is held in honor of Sir Simon: "The hearse was drawn by eight horses, each of which carried on its head a great tuft of…

A notable element of the satire used in Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost is the products the Otis family advertises to Sir Simon, the ghost haunting Canterville Chase. Long-titled products with testimonials of perfection aid in the development of the materialist attitudes held by the Otis family. There is a certain importance presented in these commercialized products. Both products being advertised are attributed to a name, declaring that this is a singular, unique product to a brand. Additionally, there are testimonials as to why these products are something a consumer should…