Victorian Things

Crafting Communities

Item Set

Items

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  The "Ladies Carpet"

  The “Ladies Carpet,” designed by English architect J.W. Papworth and displayed at the Great Exhibition in 1851, is an example of Berlin wool work. The carpet measured thirty by twenty feet and consisted of one hundred and fifty squares, each measuring two feet by two feet. The squares were made and pieced together by “one hundred and fifty ladies of Great Britain,” as proclaimed under the published design of the carpet. Red and green accents dominate the intricate design, with red roses and green vines surrounding an inner rectangle. Small union jacks appear on all four corners of the carpet; two of the union jacks feature crests at their centres, while the other two feature the cross of Saint George. In the middle of the carpet, a V and an A interlock each other, paying homage to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The carpet’s current location is unknown.
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  Miniature Portrait of Elizabeth Siddall

  This delicate, palm-sized portrait sits encased in a jeweled frame made of gold, bowenite, opal, diamonds, and star sapphires. The object was given to The Walters Art Museum in 1963 with a large collection of portrait miniatures. Unlike a traditional painted miniature, this piece is a black and white photograph—likely a carte-de-visite—overpainted in gouache. The first photograph of the object included in our gallery shows the front of the framed photograph. A three-quarter length portrait of a figure sits before a dark blue background, head turned slightly to the left, with her eyes downcast and her hands clasped. A light red shawl is draped around her shoulders and held in place with her hands, partially obscuring a brown striped dress. White accents draw our eyes to her sleeves and the frill at her neck, where a brooch is fastened. In the second image, the engraved inscription on the reverse of the frame, added in the early 20th century, asserts: This represents / Elizabeth Eleanor Siddal, / who on the 25th of May 1860 became the wife of / Dante Gabriel Rossetti. / In May 1861 she gave birth to a child, / and died on February 10th 1862, / having unhappily taken an overdose of Laudanum / in order to relieve a severe form of Neuralgia / by which she was afflicted. / This Portrait was painted by her husband / between December 1860 and May 1861, / and is the only portrait the artist painted / of his wife after her marriage. / He painted her portrait numberless times / before her marriage and made many sketches of her / but afterwards made one slight sketch in pencil / which has been lost / and painted this miniature.
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  Kate Greenaway's Design for Nursery Wallpaper

  This sample of nursery wallpaper features illustrations by the artist Kate Greenaway of children engaged in various seasonal activities. Some of the children pick apples and berries, while others walk in rain or snow. The children are dressed in the style of the Regency period, and, even while at play, their expressions remain stoic. The illustrations are set against a cream-coloured backdrop adorned with pink flowers and bows. Though perhaps faded by time, the pastel colours likely always appeared subdued. The name of the month in which the scene takes place appears under each illustration along with the artist’s initials, “KG,” in smaller print. The text around the border of the wallpaper repeats three phrases: “Reproduced by Special Permission from Drawings by Kate Greenaway,” “English Made 2258,” and, surrounding an image of a crown, “Trade Mark.” The wallpaper sample is currently housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
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  9 February Roundtable on Victorian Material Culture

  This poster for our 9 February roundtable was designed by Robert Steele and based on William Strang's The Plough (1899), which was the subject of Andrea Korda's presentation.
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  Good Words: An Illustrated Monthly Magazine

  A weekly magazine published between 1860 and 1880 primarily for a christian audience for sunday reading. The magazine folded when the editor was caught looking at the ankle of a dog.
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  [Untitled]

  This poster for our 19 January roundtable was designed by Robert Steele. The image shows the front of the Foundling Hospital, Coram's Fields, Middlesex, designed by Theodore Jacobsen (d.1772), 1742-52 (Walford 355), and was chosen based on the content of Victoria Mills's presentation.
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  8 December Roundtable on Victorian Material Culture

  This poster for our 8 December roundtable was designed by Robert Steele and based on William Morris's The Strawberry Thief, which was the subject of Imogen Hart's presentation.
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  23 October Roundtable, Singing from the Margins? The Cultural Worlds of Victorian Hymns

  This poster for our 23 October roundtable was designed by Robert Steele.
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  13 November Roundtable, Material Connections Between French and British 19th-Century Literature

  This poster for our 13 November roundtable was designed by Robert Steele and based on Gustave Caillebotte's Paris Street, Rainy Day (1877).