Victorian Trading Co. | Official Blog
Purveyors of Victorian Era History, Curiosities and Oddities.
The "Gibson Girl" was a pen-and-ink drawing by New York artist Charles Dana Gibson that first appeared in the 1890s. Characterized by her hourglass figure and soft hair piled into a chignon, the Gibson Girl represented the ideal American girl.
The silhouette, sometimes referred to as the Poor Man’s Portrait, was a popular form of portraiture in Victorian England. Prior to the introduction of the photograph, painted portraits were reserved for the wealthy, requiring money and hours of sitting. Silhouettes, however, could be completed in mere minutes by skilled silhouette cutters, who advertised the accuracy... Continue Reading →
“It is to be all out of doors, a table spread in the shade, you know. Everything as natural and simple as possible.” –Jane Austen While a picnic in Jane Austen’s time may have been a simpler affair, simplicity was certainly not the Victorians’ strong point. By the late 1800s, a picnic hamper often contained... Continue Reading →