Beauty trends today are nothing compared to the weird, and sometimes deadly, fashions of the Victorian era. Here's 8 insane fashion trends, from lead-filled lotions to combustible hoop skirts.
8 Weird And Sometimes Deadly Victorian Beauty Trends
Sarah Forbes Bonetta: The African Princess Who Became Queen Victoria’s Goddaughter
She was a princess of the Egbado clan of the Yoruba people. She became enslaved to the King of Dahomey before being "gifted" to Queen Victoria, who made her a goddaughter. This is the story of Sarah Forbes Bonetta.
The Case of Sarah MacFarlane and Her Melodramatic Murderer
Sarah MacFarlane, a widow, began an affair with her neighbor, Augustus Dalmas, months after his wife died. What followed were rumors, lies, and rambling letters filled with love and hate...and murder.
Caroline Norton: A Victorian Advocate for Married Women
Before 1839, women had no rights to their children if their marriage failed and led to separation or divorce, nor could a wife own property or keep independent wages. Then came Caroline Norton, poet, author, and early women's rights advocate.
Mother Seacole: Nurse, Hotelier, Traveler, and Greatest Black Briton
Mary Seacole was a nurse, hotelier, and traveler. She traveled across the globe learning nursing techniques, aiding soldiers and patients, and assisted during the Crimean War, even after the British government turned her away. This is the story of Mary Seacole, known to those she helped as "Mother Seacole."
7 Weird Victorian Christmas Traditions
Many of our treasured traditions, Christmas cards, Christmas trees, hanging stockings, and caroling, didn’t appear until the 1840s. This makes much of Christmas a Victorian invention., and like anything from the Victorian era, many of these beloved traditions have weird, wacky, and even sinister roots. Here's 7 weird Victorian Christmas traditions.
Two Poets in Love: The Romance of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning
Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning were the literary power couple of the Victorian era, and their love story was just as entertaining as their poetry.
The Haunting of Drury Lane Theatre: A Murderous Ghost, the Mysterious Man in Grey, and Disembodied Clown Heads
Drury Lane Theatre is home to a host of ghosts. There's so many lurking within the theatre's walls that its considered good luck for a play if an apparition is spotted before a production. But what sort of ghosts haunt Drury Lane?
The Bloody Code: 20 Crimes That Absurdly Led To The Death Penalty in Georgian & Regency England
In 1723, England introduced a criminal system that is called “The Bloody Code” by today’s historians. Although the name is not contemporary to the time, it captures the severity of the list of 220 offenses attached to capital punishment in Georgian & Regency England.
Short Story Alert! To Own Her Body
I'm beyond pleased to be the featured fiction contributor in New Reader Magazine's latest issue. I discuss my creative process and making historical fiction appealing to a modern day audience in my interview on pg. 20, and my latest short story, To Own Her Body, is on pg. 36.
Kat Devitt 