The Victorian Variety Show

View Details

Just a (not so) quick and (mostly unscripted) explanation of why the show is going on hiatus until December, which ends with my reading of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, “Spirits of the Dead.”*ReferencesPoe, Edgar Allan. “Spirits of the Dead.” https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48632/spirits-of-the-deadWikipedia. “Poems by Edgar Allan Poe.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poems_by_Edgar_Allan_Poe#Spirits_of_the_Dead_(1827)***Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.comTwitter (or X, or whatever it’s called now): twitter.com/victorianvarie1Threads: threads.net/@marisadf13Bluesky: @marisadf13.bsky.socialBuy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshowI’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/message

View Details

In the second episode of my 2-part examination of the life and career of Sir William Crookes (1832-1919), I explore events that inspired his interest in spiritualism, his unique methods of combining his studies in this area with his scientific background, and his work with some well-known 19th-century mediums, as well as the reception his work with mediums received from the scientific and spiritualist communities.*ReferencesBarral, Miguel. “The Ghosts of William Crookes.” https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/science/leading-figures/the-ghosts-of-william-crookes/Crookes, William. Researches in the phenomena of spiritualism. https://archive.org/details/researchesinphen00croo/page/4/mode/2upDoyle, Arthur Conan. “The Researches of Sir William Crookes.” https://worldspirituality.org/william-crookes-html/Ghost Club, The. “The Ghost Club.” https://ghostclub.org.uk/history.htmlHermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, The. https://hermeticgoldendawn.orgMagnet Academy (National MagLab). “William Crookes.” https://nationalmaglab.org/magnet-academy/history-of-electricity-magnetism/pioneers/william-crookes/Psi Encyclopedia. “William Crookes.” https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/william-crookes#:~:text=William%20Crookes%20was%20the%20first%20British%20scientist%20of,continue%20to%20be%20widely%20cited%20and%20discussed%20today.Society for Psychical Research. https://www.spr.ac.uk/about/our-historyVictorian Era. “Victorian Spiritualism And Spiritualists.” https://victorian-era.org/victorian-spiritualism-spiritualists.htmlWikipedia“Allen Thomson.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Thomson“C.F. Varley.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._F._Varley“William Crookes.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_CrookesRelevant past TVVS episodes“2 Sides of Sir William Crookes, Part 1: The Scientist.” https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/episodes/2-Sides-of-Sir-William-Crookes--Part-1-The-Scientist-e295aad“Victorian-Era Spiritualism, Part 1: The Fox Sisters.” https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/episodes/Victorian-Era-Spiritualism--Part-1-The-Fox-Sisters-e187d57***Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.comTwitter (or X, or whatever it’s called now): twitter.com/victorianvarie1Threads: threads.net/@marisadf13Bluesky: @marisadf13.bsky.socialBuy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshowI’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/message

View Details

I first learned about British physicist and chemist Sir William Crookes (1832-1919) several months ago, while working on my episode on X-rays. Recently, while reading Violet Tweedale’s Ghosts I Have Seen and Other Psychic Experiences, I learned that Sir William had an interest in spiritual and paranormal matters in addition to the sciences. In this episode, I focus on some of his better known scientific discoveries (and will discuss his relationship to the paranormal next time).

References

Barral, Miguel. “The Ghosts of William Crookes.” https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/science/leading-figures/the-ghosts-of-william-crookes/

Crookes, Sir William. On radiant matter [microform] : a lecture delivered to the British Association for the Advancement of Science, at Sheffield, Friday, August 22, 1879. https://archive.org/details/onradiantmatterl00croorich/page/7/mode/2up

Division of Chemical Education, Purdue University. “6.1 Crookes' Tube.” https://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/demosheets/6.1.htm

National MagLab. “William Crookes.” https://nationalmaglab.org/magnet-academy/history-of-electricity-magnetism/pioneers/william-crookes/

Sella, Andrea. “Crookes' tube.” https://www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/crookes-tube/8381.article

Travis, Anthony S. “Introduction: Food or Famine.” https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-68963-0_1

Tweedale, Violet. Ghosts I Have Seen and Other Psychic Experiences. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/39769/39769-h/39769-h.htm#Page_33

Wikipedia “Atomic, molecular, and optical physics.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic,_molecular,_and_optical_physics#Optical_physics “Crookes radiometer.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crookes_radiometer “Organic chemistry.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_chemistry “Phenakistiscope.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenakistiscope “Robert Bunsen.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bunsen “William Crookes.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Crookes

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter (or X, or whatever it’s called now): twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Threads: threads.net/@marisadf13

Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/support

View Details

If you spend any time learning about Victorian Era funeral and burial etiquette, chances are you’ll come across an illustration of a Fisk Patent Air-Tight Metallic Burial Case…and once you do, you’ll never forget it. I discuss the circumstances that inspired the creation of this unique coffin and some of its benefits, as well as how it’s often viewed from a modern perspective.*ReferencesAmerican Civil War Medicine & Surgical Antiques. “Valentine Mott, M.D.” http://medicalantiques.com/civilwar/Medical_Authors_Faculty/Mott_Vanentine.htmCherrell, Kate. “Victorian Iron Mummies: The Fisk Casket.” https://burialsandbeyond.com/2019/07/01/victorian-iron-mummies-the-fisk-casket/Dickinson, Emily. “A Coffin — is a small Domain.” https://allpoetry.com/A-Coffin---is-a-small-DomainFisk, Almond D. “Patent US5920A.” https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/59/07/cd/c02d1344615405/US5920.pdfMeier, Allison. “The Cast Iron Coffin That Was Too Creepy Even for the Victorians.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/morbid-monday-fisk-mummy-caseNeighbors, Joy. “A Grave Interest.” https://agraveinterest.blogspot.com/2012/08/history-of-coffins-caskets.htmlWarnasch, Scott. “A Brief History of Fisk’s Coffins.” https://ironcoffinmummy.com/a-brief-history-of-fisks-coffins/Wikipedia. “Fisk metallic burial case.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisk_metallic_burial_caseWoodyard, Chris. “A Grave Warning About Iron Coffins.” http://hauntedohiobooks.com/news/a-grave-warning-about-iron-coffins/***Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.comTwitter (or X, or whatever it’s called now): twitter.com/victorianvarie1Threads: threads.net/@marisadf13Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshowI’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/support

View Details

In this Season 3 premiere, I bring you my recent conversation with Ryan Stevens, in which we talked briefly about the history of figure skating, as well as its increased popularity in the 19th Century and Victorian Era “Skate King,” Jackson Haines.

About Ryan Stevens:

I am a former figure skater and judge from Halifax, Nova Scotia. I have been writing about figure skating history since 2013, on my blog Skate Guard. I also write for U.S. Figure Skating's magazine "Skating", the oldest continuously published skating periodical in the world. I have been consulted on figure skating history by numerous museums, as well as by television programs on CBC, NBC and ITV.

Skate Guard: skateguard1.blogspot.ca

Jackson Haines: The Skating King: https://bit.ly/3WKMKkZ

References

du Maurier, George. “Rincomania.” http://www.skatingaheadofthecurve.com/ThePoetryOfSkating.html

du Maurier, George. “Rincomania” (with illustration). https://archive.org/details/punch68a69lemouoft/page/n43/mode/2up

Talent, Annalise. “Become an Instant Expert on William Wordsworth, the Ice-Skating Poet.” https://theartssociety.org/arts-news-features/become-instant-expert-william-wordsworth-ice-skating-poet

Wikipedia. “George du Maurier.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_du_Maurier

Wikipedia. “The Prelude.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prelude

Wordsworth, William. “So through the darkness and cold we flew.” https://wordsworth-coleridge.com/home/wordsworth/skating

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Threads: threads.net/@marisadf13

Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/support

View Details

In the second episode of my 2-part miniseries on Isabella Mary Mayson Beeton (a.k.a. “Mrs. Beeton”), I delve deeper into her voluminous Book of Household Management.

Catch episode 1 here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6cBEAgXffA4uv8doOxpm6l?si=doVWQOEYT5qbHki5lua8zg

References

Beeton, Isabella. The Book of Household Management (1861 edition). https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/10136/pg10136.html

Beeton, Isabella. The Book of Household Management (1888 edition). https://archive.org/details/b21536193/page/n1/mode/1up

Discover Britain. “Isabella Beeton and the art of household management.” https://www.discoverbritainmag.com/isabella-beeton-and-the-art-of-household-management/

Hughes, Kathryn. “Mrs Beeton and the art of household management.” https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/mrs-beeton-and-the-art-of-household-management

Miss Windsor’s Delectables. “The Culinary Chronicles of Mrs Beeton!” https://missw.shar-web.co.uk/myblog/the-culinary-chronicles-of-mrs-beeton/

Wikipedia. “Isabella Beeton.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Beeton

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Threads: threads.net/@marisadf13

Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/support

View Details

If you’re a fan of vintage food and cooking (like I am), you’ve probably heard the name “Mrs. Beeton,” and may even have seen an edition of her voluminous Book of Household Management. But who was Mrs. Beeton, and what are some reasons her book has stood the test of time?

References

Beeton, Isabella. The Book of Household Management. https://archive.org/details/b21536193/page/n1/mode/1up

Discover Britain. “Isabella Beeton and the art of household management.” https://www.discoverbritainmag.com/isabella-beeton-and-the-art-of-household-management/

Findlaw. “Copyrighting Recipes.” https://www.findlaw.com/smallbusiness/intellectual-property/copyrighting-recipes.html

Hughes, Kathryn. “Mrs Beeton and the art of household management.” https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/mrs-beeton-and-the-art-of-household-management

Miss Windsor’s Delectables. “The Culinary Chronicles of Mrs Beeton!” https://missw.shar-web.co.uk/myblog/the-culinary-chronicles-of-mrs-beeton/

Wikipedia. “Isabella Beeton.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Beeton

Wikipedia. “The Queen: The Ladies Newspaper and Court Chronicle.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Queen:_The_Ladies_Newspaper_and_Court_Chronicle

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Threads: threads.net/@marisadf13

Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

Download a FREE audiobook version of Washington Irving’s The Chronicles of Wolfert’s Roost & Other Papers (for which I read a chapter) here! https://librivox.org/chronicles-of-wolferts-roost-and-other-papers-by-washington-irving/

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/support

View Details

I (& my dog) recently had X-rays, & it hit me that X-rays were a pretty big (albeit short-lived) fad toward the end of the Victorian Era. I discuss the history of the X-ray, & explore why X-rays were initially so popular & why that popularity eventually faded.

References

Click Americana. “How X-rays were discovered – Victorian medical tech we still use every day.” https://clickamericana.com/topics/discoveries-inventions/how-x-rays-were-first-discovered-medical-tech

Davis-Marks, Isis. “Researchers Reveal Mummy’s Surprising Contents Without Unwrapping It.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-examine-1900-year-old-mummy-without-opening-it-180976561/

Gershon, Livia. “The X-Ray Craze of 1896.” https://daily.jstor.org/the-x-ray-craze-of-1896/

Kaye, George William Clarkson. X rays, an introduction to the study of Röntgen rays. https://archive.org/details/xraysintroductio00kayerich/page/216/mode/2up

Kennedy, Kelsey. “The Existential Horror Created by the First X-Ray Images.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/roentgen-xrays-discovery-radiographs

Pamboukian, Sylvia. “‘Looking Radiant’m Science, Photography and the X-ray Craze of 1896.” https://www.jstor.org/stable/27793468?mag=the-x-ray-craze-of-1896

Wikipedia. “Crookes tube.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crookes_tube

Wikipedia. “X-ray.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray

X-Ray Art. “Pre-Röntgen X-Ray History.” https://www.xray-art.com/pre-rontgen-x-ray-history/

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/support

View Details

I briefly explore the life of writer Edith Nesbit, a.k.a. “E. Nesbit” (1858-1924), and read excerpts from some of her works.

References

Banerjee, Jacqueline. “E. Nesbit, Rudyard Kipling and The Strand Magazine.” https://victorianweb.org/authors/nesbit/kipling.html

Britannica. “Fabian Society.” https://www.britannica.com/topic/Fabian-Society

Fabian Society. “Our History.” https://fabians.org.uk/about-us/our-history/

Morbid Curiosity Podcast. “The Shadow.” https://www.thebelfry.rip/blog/2022/1/24/shadow-of-edith-nesbit-morbid-curiosity

Nesbit, E. “A Dirge.” https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/50162/pg50162-images.html#A_DIRGE

Nesbit, E. “Man-Size in Marble.” https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/40321/pg40321-images.html#MAN-SIZE_IN_MARBLE

Nesbit, E. The Story of the Treasure Seekers. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/770/pg770-images.html

Page, Benedicte. “E Nesbit's classic The Railway Children accused of 'plagiarism'.” https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/mar/21/nesbit-railway-children-plagiarism

Wikipedia. “E. Nesbit.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Nesbit

Wikipedia. “The Children’s Book.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Children%27s_Book

Winter, Jessica. “The British Socialist Who Rewrote the World for Children.” https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/the-british-socialist-who-rewrote-the-world-for-children

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

Also, check out Anthony Trollope’s Hunting Sketches and thousands of other FREE audiobook versions of books in the public domain at LibriVox.org!

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/support

View Details

What with popular attribution of the phrase “We are not amused” to Queen Victoria and the widespread belief that Victorians were obsessed with etiquette and death, it’s easy to get the impression that many people during this period lacked a sense of humor. However, I will explain why I’ve found the opposite to be the case, and provide examples of Victorian humor.

References

Nicholson, Bob. “Actually, we are amused – how the Victorians helped to shape Britain’s unique sense of humour.” https://theconversation.com/actually-we-are-amused-how-the-victorians-helped-to-shape-britains-unique-sense-of-humour-82714

Punch 1841-1992. https://archive.org/details/pub_punch

Rowe, Kaz. “The Endless Horror of TikTok’s Historical Misinformation.” https://youtu.be/l4NflBAcsJ4

Russ, Arthur. “19th Century British and American Humour.” https://discover.hubpages.com/education/victorian-humour

The Book of humour, wit, and wisdom : a manual of table-talk. https://archive.org/details/bookofhumourwitw00londiala/page/n5/mode/2up

Vasey, George. The philosophy of laughter and smiling. https://archive.org/details/philosophyoflaug00vase/page/27/mode/2up

Victorian London Random Joke Generator. http://www.victorianlondon.org/joke/random.htm

Vintage Everyday. “18th-19th Century Jokes Most People Today Might Not ‘Get.’” https://www.vintag.es/2017/07/18th-19th-century-jokes-most-people.html

Wikipedia. “Phrenology.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrenology

Wilson, Andy. “Queen bombshell: Did Queen Victoria really say 'we are not amused'?” https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1287776/Queen-Victoria-did-Queen-Victoria-say-we-are-not-amused

And, if you haven’t yet listened to my previous episode on Punch Magazine, you can check it out here! https://open.spotify.com/episode/5w0dB0O3oniDXuhattiwkJ?si=idK_dDvcSquSpiInUag7JQ

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/support

View Details

In this episode, I discuss Robert Clark Kedzie (1823-1902), a Michigan doctor, chemist, and professor, and explain why his 1874 book, Shadows from the Walls of Death, can be considered one of the deadliest books ever written.*ReferencesBien, Laura. “In the Archives: Poison Pages.” https://annarborchronicle.com/2012/05/03/in-the-archives-poison-pages/index.htmlHarvey, Mark. “Shadows from the Walls of Death.” https://michiganology.org/stories/shadows-from-the-walls-of-death/Kedzie, R.C. Shadows from the walls of death: facts and inferences prefacing a book of specimens of arsenical wall papers. https://archive.org/details/0234555.nlm.nih.gov/page/n3/mode/1upLindley, Robin. “Arsenic, but No Old Lace—Medical Historian James C. Whorton on the Poisoning of Nineteenth-Century Britain.” https://hnn.us/article/131120#:~:text=Arsenic%20was%20used%20even%20in%20medications%20to%20treat,this%20age%20of%20laissez-faire%20capitalism%20and%20governmental%20indifference.Michigan State University. “Robert C. Kedzie.” https://onthebanks.msu.edu/Object/162-565-3181/robert-c-kedzie/Norman, Jeremy N. “Robert Clark Kedzie Issues ‘Poisonous Paper,’ and a Poisonous Wallpaper Book Published in an Edition of 100 Copies.” https://historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=3404Zawacki, Alexander J. “How a Library Handles a Rare and Deadly Book of Wallpaper Samples.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/shadows-from-the-walls-of-death-bookAnd, if you haven’t yet listened to my previous episode on arsenic and its frequent usage during the Victorian Era, you can check it out here! https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/episodes/The-Ubiquity-of-Arsenic-During-the-Victorian-Era-e1dafc0Thanks again to one of my favorite podcasts, Noctivagant: A Paranormal Book Club, for mentioning TVVS in their most recent episode, which you can listen to here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4xZBWRYmvLLkCx1HWFA2X1?si=3jrjGcFsTauLgodSQqNOTA**Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.comTwitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshowI’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/support

View Details

I discuss what I was able to find about the life of Charles Elmé Francatelli (1805-1876), one of the Victorian Era’s “celebrity chefs,” who spent part of his career cooking for The Queen and Prince Albert, and look at 2 of his cookbooks, The Modern Cook and A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes.*ReferencesCook’s Guide, The. “Charles Elmé Francatelli.” http://www.thecooksguide.com/articles/francatelli.htmlCook’s Info. “Charles Elmé Francatelli: Victorian Celebrity Chef.” https://www.cooksinfo.com/charles-elme-francatelliFlantzer, Susan. “Charles Elmé Francatelli, Maitre d’hotel and Chief Cook in Ordinary to Queen Victoria.” https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/charles-elme-francatelli/Francatelli, Charles Elmé. A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/22114/22114-h/22114-h.htmFrancatelli, Charles Elmé. The Modern Cook. https://archive.org/details/b21530154/page/n5/mode/1upGilbert, Lauren. “Cook at Buckingham Palace: Charles Elme' Francatelli.” https://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/2019/01/cook-at-buckingham-palace-charles-elme.htmlSmythe, Colin. “Charles Elmé Francatelli, Crockford’s, and the Royal Connection.” https://colinsmythe.co.uk/charles-elme-francatelli-crockfords-and-the-royal-connection/Wikipedia. “Charles Elmé Francatelli.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Elmé_FrancatelliWikipedia. “Marie-Antoine Carême.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie-Antoine_Carême***Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.comTwitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1Mastodon: @marisad@is.nota.liveBuy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshowI’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/support

View Details

You can’t talk about physical culture during the Victorian Era without discussing “Muscular Christianity.” I describe how this movement developed in the mid-19th century, ways in which it was practiced within and outside the UK, and how it intersected with phenomena that are still with us today, such as nationalism, imperialism, and eugenics.*ReferencesGraham, Alex. “Friedrich Ludwig Jahn & German Nationalism.” https://counter-currents.com/2017/11/friedrich-ludwig-jahn-and-german-nationalism/Heffernan, Conor. “Indian Clubs in Victorian Britain.” https://physicalculturestudy.com/2022/01/19/indian-clubs-in-victorian-britain/Hughes, Thomas. Tom Brown’s Schooldays. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1480/1480-h/1480-h.htm#link2HCH0018Morse, Greg. “The Search for Manly Men of God.” https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-search-for-manly-men-of-godMovement Health. “What is the Physical Culture Movement?” https://www.movementhealth.com.au/news/physical-culture-movement/Perelman, Michael, and Vincent Portillo. “The Brutal Legacy of the Muscular Christian Movement.” https://www.counterpunch.org/2013/08/09/the-brutal-legacy-of-the-muscular-christian-movement/Stark, James. “Fitness gurus and ‘muscular Christianity’: how Victorian Britain anticipated today’s keep fit craze.” https://theconversation.com/fitness-gurus-and-muscular-christianity-how-victorian-britain-anticipated-todays-keep-fit-craze-129522Wikipedia“Charles Kingsley.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Kingsley“Charles Spurgeon.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Spurgeon“Christian Socialism.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_socialism“Friedrich Ludwig Jahn.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Ludwig_Jahn“Luther Burbank.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luther_Burbank“Tom Brown’s Schooldays.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Brown's_School_DaysI am honored to have been included in the most recent episode of Sandman Stories Presents! Check it out here (and catch a few past episodes while you’re there!): https://open.spotify.com/episode/3zZ11HW0tV1RwWjdEHM5hJ?si=vtId5NQvTzu98CvudrHqPgⅆ=1**Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.comTwitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1Mastodon: @marisad@is.nota.liveBuy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshowI’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/support

View Details

In this episode, I explore the stages in which fitness culture evolved in the 19th Century, as well as the rise of strongman athletes and fitness “gurus,” some popular fitness equipment of the period, and early gymnasiums.*ReferencesBarford, Vanessa, and Lucy Townsend. “Eugen Sandow: The man with the perfect body.” https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-19977415BBC News. “'Manly exercise' manual found at Cambridge college.” https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-38420468Britannica. “Eugen Sandow.” https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eugen-SandowErnst, Gustav. The portable gymnasium: a manual of exercises, arranged for self instruction in the use of the portable gymnasium. https://archive.org/details/b20399789/page/61/mode/1upMacfadden, Bernarr. Macfadden's physical training : an illustrated system of exercise for the development of health, strength and beauty. https://archive.org/details/macfaddensphysic00macf/page/6/mode/2upMovement Health. “What is the Physical Culture Movement?” https://www.movementhealth.com.au/news/physical-culture-movement/ScotlandsPeople. “Our Records: A Victorian Gymnasium.” https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/article/victorian-gymnasiumStark, James. “Fitness gurus and ‘muscular Christianity’: how Victorian Britain anticipated today’s keep fit craze.” https://theconversation.com/fitness-gurus-and-muscular-christianity-how-victorian-britain-anticipated-todays-keep-fit-craze-129522Walker, Donald. British manly exercises : containing rowing and sailing, riding, & driving. https://archive.org/details/britishmanlyexer00walk/page/n105/mode/2upWikipedia. “François Delsarte.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/François_DelsarteWikipedia. “Friedrich Ludwig Jahn.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Ludwig_JahnWikipedia. “Genevieve Stebbins.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genevieve_StebbinsWikipedia. “Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Christoph_Friedrich_GutsMuthsWikipedia. “Somatics.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatics#:~:text=An%2520early%2520precursor%2520of%2520the%2520somatic%2520movement%2520in,culture%2520practices%2520were%2520brought%2520to%2520the%2520US.%2520***Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.comTwitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1Mastodon: @marisad@is.nota.liveBuy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshowI’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/support

View Details

When you think of “haunted” houses, there’s a good chance that structures built during the Victorian Era come to mind. I look at some characteristics of “Victorian” houses, and explore how and when their association with ghosts came about.*ReferencesAyers, Vivienne. “Georgian house style – what it is and how to get the look.” https://www.homesandgardens.com/house-design/georgian-house-styleD’Costa, Krystal. “Why are Victorian Houses Haunted?” https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anthropology-in-practice/why-are-victorian-houses-haunted/Friends of Oak Grove Cemetery. “Victorian Funeral Customs and Superstitions.” https://friendsofoakgrovecemetery.org/victorian-funeral-customs-fears-and-superstitions/Gallagher, Danny. “5 Real Houses That Inspired the Construction of the Haunted Mansion.” https://allears.net/2019/08/05/5-real-houses-that-inspired-the-construction-of-the-haunted-mansion/Hoevel, Ann. “Blueprint for the ultimate haunted house – Victorian style.” https://www.cnn.com/2013/10/03/living/decor-haunted-houses/index.htmlInteresly. “Architecture of Fear – the Victorian Haunted House.” https://www.interesly.com/architecture-fear-victorian-haunted-house/MasterClass. “Victorian Architecture: 3 Characteristics of Victorian Architecture.” https://www.masterclass.com/articles/victorian-architectureMendelsohn, Hadley. “The Real Reason Victorian Houses Are Always Considered the Most Haunted.” https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a37527693/victorian-haunted-house/MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). “Edward Hopper: House by the Railroad.” https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78330Riddell, Charlotte. “The Open Door.” https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0606251.txt***Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.comTwitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshowI’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

The fern has been associated with myth and mystery for centuries, but the Victorians took their appreciation for this plant species to new levels. I discuss some events and circumstances that led to pteridomania (“fern fever”), as well as ways in which the magical fern was incorporated into the everyday lives of millions of Victorians.*ReferencesAmerican Fern Society. https://www.amerfernsoc.orgBrain, Jessica. “The Wardian Case.” https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Wardian-Case/Britannica. “Fern.” https://www.britannica.com/plant/fernCastelow, Ellen. “Pteridomania – Fern Madness.” https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Pteridomania-Fern-Madness/Green, Cynthia. “When Ferns Were All The Rage.” https://daily.jstor.org/when-ferns-were-all-the-rage/Hamilton, E.L. “Victorian Ladies used Ferns as a Covert way to Express Passion and Desire.” https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/05/29/victorian-ferns/?safari=1Kingsley, Charles. Glaucus, or the Wonders of the Shore. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/695/695-h/695-h.htmMorris Arboretum (University of Pennsylvania). “The Fernery.” https://www.morrisarboretum.org/gardens-trees/garden-features/ferneryMueller, Nora. “In Pursuit of Madness: ‘Pteridomania’ and The Historic Fascination With Ferns.” https://gardencollage.com/wander/gardens-parks/ferb-obsession/Nikolaidou, Dimitra. “How the Victorian Fern-Hunting Craze Led To Adventure, Romance, and Crime.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-the-victorian-fern-hunting-craze-led-to-adventure-romance-and-crimeSymbolism and Metaphor. “Fern Symbolism & Meaning (Invisibility & Fortune).” https://symbolismandmetaphor.com/fern-symbolism-meaning/Wikipedia. “Henry Bradbury.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_BradburyWikipedia. “Nature printing.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_printingWikipedia. “Pteridomania.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pteridomania***Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.comTwitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshowI’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

Fainting women were a pretty common trope in 19th century literature. I discuss some reasons why Victorian-Era women were likely to faint, but also explore how much of what we know about “fainting culture” might have been myth, and how much was likely reality.*ReferencesAgnew, Molly Elizabeth. “The Truth About Corsets: Busting the Myths.” https://thevintagewomanmagazine.com/the-truth-about-corsets-busting-the-myths/Austen, Jane. Love and Freindship. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1212/1212-h/1212-h.htmDickens, Charles. The Pickwick Papers. https://www.victorianlondon.org/etexts/dickens/pickwick-0012.shtmlGoshorn, Kelly. “Swooning, a Victorian Fad?” https://kellygoshorn.com/archives/2018/04/swooning-a-victorian-fad#:~:text=Swooning%20was%20simply%20one%20method%20for%20a%20woman,a%20secret%20affair%20and%20child%2C%20may%20be%20revealed.Lucy. “Corsets and the Victorian Fainting Culture.” https://lucycorsetry.com/2014/09/25/corsets-and-the-victorian-fainting-culture/Morris, C. “The Myth about Victorian Women You Can Stop Believing.” https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/the-myth-about-victorian-women-you-can-stop-believing/ar-AAYbNmkValentish, Jenny. “The corsets are gone, so why are women still fainting?” https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/voices/culture/article/2018/03/22/corsets-are-gone-so-why-are-women-still-faintingValeris, Monique. “Everything You Need to Know about a Fainting Couch.” https://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/interior-designers/a28786604/fainting-couch-history/Vic. “The Connection Between Vinegar and the Fainting Couch: 19th Century Customs.” https://janeaustensworld.com/2012/03/11/the-connection-between-vinegar-and-the-fainting-couch-19th-century-customs/Victorian Era. “Fainting Couch In Victorian Era.” https://victorian-era.org/fainting-couch-victorian-era.htmlWikipedia. “Fainting Couch.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fainting_couchWikipedia. “Love and Freindship.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_and_Freindship***Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.comTwitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshowI’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

Although Valentine’s Day existed prior to the 19th century, the Victorians helped to make this day what we know and love (or hate) today. I briefly discuss the history of the day, then talk about the many “vinegar valentines” Victorians looking to insult rather than flirt could choose from.*ReferencesAndersen, Charlotte Hilton. “What Is Valentine’s Day, and Why Do We Celebrate It?” https://www.rd.com/article/history-of-valentines-day/Corrigan, Maya. “When Valentines Were Vicious: A Brief History of the Vinegar Valentine.” https://crimereads.com/when-valentines-were-vicious-a-brief-history-of-the-vinegar-valentine/Five Minute History. “Valentine’s Day in the Victorian Era.” https://fiveminutehistory.com/valentines-day-in-the-victorian-era/Ponti, Crystal. “Victorian-Era 'Vinegar' Valentines Could Be Mean and Hostile.” https://www.history.com/news/victorian-valentines-day-cards-vinegarZarrelli, Natalie. “The Rude, Cruel, and Insulting ‘Vinegar Valentines’ of the Victorian Era.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/vinegar-valentines-victorianZelazko, Alicja. “Why Do We Give Valentine Cards?” https://www.britannica.com/story/why-do-we-give-valentine-cards**Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.comTwitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshowI’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

I read 2 fairy tales from the 1893 children’s book, Rays of Sunshine: “A Frog He Would a Wooing Go” and “Death and Burial of Cock Robin.”*References“A Frog He Would A Wooing Go.” Rays of Sunshine. New York: M'Loughlin Bros., 1893. https://archive.org/details/raysofsunshine00unse/page/n7/mode/2up“Death and Burial of Cock Robin.” Rays of Sunshine. New York: M'Loughlin Bros., 1893. https://archive.org/details/raysofsunshine00unse/page/n7/mode/2upMama Lisa’s World. “A Frog He Would A-wooing Go, Georgie Porgie, and the Meaning of Roly-Poly.” https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/a-frog-he-would-a-wooing-go-and-georgie-porgie/#:~:text=I’ve%20always%20been%20fond%20of%20the%20song%20A,by%20Elvis%20Presley%20and%20Bob%20Dylan%2C%20among%20others.Mantel, P.G. “‘Fairy Tales’ by G.K. Chesterton.” https://www.menofthewest.net/fairy-tales-by-g-k-chesterton/Public Domain Review, The. “The Death and Burial of Cock Robin.” https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/the-death-and-burial-of-cock-robinWikipedia. “Cock Robin.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cock_Robin***Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.comTwitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshowI’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

In this minisode, I discuss the history of the zoetrope & explain why, even though it was generally marketed as a “toy,” I believe it was much more than that.*ReferencesCoterill, Chris. “Early Pioneer: William George Horner.” https://animationgeek.blogspot.com/2011/01/early-pioneer-william-george-horner.htmlObject Lessons. “Zoetrope, Victorian, Replica.” https://www.objectlessons.org/childhood-and-games-victorians/zoetrope-victorian-replica/s67/a1072/Taggart, Emma. “Circling the Zoetrope, a Victorian Animation Toy That Helped Shape the Future of Cinema.” https://mymodernmet.com/what-is-a-zoetrope/Wikipedia. “American Zoetrope.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_ZoetropeWikipedia. “Phenakistiscope.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhenakistiscopeWikipedia. “Zoetrope.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoetrope***Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.comTwitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshowI’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

The Victorians are credited with giving us many of the Christmas traditions we know and love today, but in this episode, I look at some with which the majority of us may be less familiar, including the Christmas Pickle, “festive science,” dangerous parlour games, and the infamous wassail bowl.*BBC. “History of Christmas.” https://www.bbc.co.uk/victorianchristmas/history.shtmlBradley, Elizabeth L. “Dickens and Irving: A Tale of Two Christmas Tales.” https://hudsonvalley.org/article/dickens-and-irving-a-tale-of-two-christmas-tales/Cole, Rupert. “Science and Christmas: a forgotten Victorian romance.” https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2012/dec/14/science-christmas-victorian-romanceEllis, Danielle. “A Victorian Christmas: Furmenty and Snapdragon.” https://www.severnbites.com/2016/12/21/a-victorian-christmas-furmenty-and-snapdragon/Irving, Washington. “The Christmas Dinner.” The Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon. Public Domain eBook.Johnston, Keith. “11 Odd Victorian Christmas Traditions.” https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/652043/victorian-christmas-traditionsMartisiute, Laura. “10 Strange Christmas Traditions From The Victorian Era.” https://listverse.com/2016/12/23/10-strange-christmas-traditions-from-the-victorian-era/Pendle, George. “Victorians’ Christmas Parlor Games Will Leave You Burned, Bruised, And Puking.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/victorians-christmas-parlor-games-will-leave-you-burned-bruised-and-pukingVincent, Sarah. “What Is the Christmas Pickle? The History Behind This Unique Tradition.” https://www.rd.com/article/christmas-pickle/***Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1Mastodon: https://is.nota.live/@marisadBuy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshowI’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!Also, if you missed my look at Victorian-Era holiday cards last year, you can find it here: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/episodes/Seasons-Creepings--A-Brief-Discussion-of-Victorian-Era-Holiday-Cards-e1c4ol9--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

I recently had the opportunity to talk to Traci Muller Rylands about cemeteries she has visited around the U.S. and the research those visits have inspired.About Traci: An almost-native of Georgia, Traci Muller Rylands has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Georgia. She didn’t take an interest in cemeteries until 2012, when she became a photo volunteer for findagrave.com, an online database of cemeteries around the world. It was then she began sharing stories from the cemeteries she visited via her blog, adventuresincemeteryhopping.com. A stay-at-home mom, Traci lives in Dunwoody, Georgia, with her husband, Chris, and 15-year-old son, Sean. *ReferencesMorticia. “Grave Words: A Love Affair With Victorian Headstones.” http://www.unofficialbritain.com/grave-words-a-love-affair-with-victorian-headstones/Rossetti, Christina. “One Sea-Side Grave.” https://allpoetry.com/One-Sea-Side-Grave***Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1Mastodon: https://is.nota.live/@marisadBuy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshowI’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

Over half a century before “celebrity chefs” captured the public imagination, Agnes Bertha Marshall (1855-1905) was a true visionary who built an empire that included cooking schools, cookbooks and a weekly magazine, retail products, and other ventures. I provide a brief overview of Marshall’s life, and focus on the area she is perhaps best known for—desserts.*ReferencesAmalgamate. “Horrible Health and Safety Histories: Penny Licks.” http://www.amalgamate-safety.com/2018/05/08/horrible-health-and-safety-histories-penny-licks/Katz, Brigit. “Meet Agnes B. Marshall, the Victorian Queen of Ice Cream.” https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/598021/ice-cream-queen-of-victorian-england-agnes-b-marshallMarshall, A.B. Fancy Ices. https://archive.org/details/b29314501/mode/1upMarshall, A.B. Mrs. A.B. Marshall’s Cookery Book. https://archive.org/details/b21538050/page/360/mode/2upMarshall, A.B. The Book of Ices. https://archive.org/details/b21539613/mode/2upWaters, Michael. “The 19th-century entrepreneur who pioneered modern ice cream.” https://thehustle.co/agnes-marshall-who-invented-ice-cream/Wikipedia. “Agnes Marshall.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_Marshall***Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1Mastodon: https://is.nota.live/@marisadBuy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshowI’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

In this episode, I talk to Stephen of one of my favorite podcasts, Dark Stories from the Campfire, about British Occultism’s development during the Victorian Era and various factors that intersected with and influenced it (including French Occultism and Egyptomania).

About Stephen: As the creator and writer of Dark Stories from the Campfire and The History of the Tarot, Stephen has had a deep interest in literature and history from a young age. It would not be uncommon to catch him spinning a tale to family or friends. As teenager he began incorporating music into his storytelling. Later, it was his interest in folklore, history, and intersection of music and storytelling that propelled him to study social/cultural anthropology, where he would pick up an interest in death rituals as well as the history of the occult, which began a life long obsession with Ouija boards and Tarot cards. Briefly, Stephen had a Youtube channel covering history and folklore, which ended due to his distaste for video editing. Shorlty thereafter, however, he began the Dark Stories from the Campfire podcast, where he presents original horror tales with the stories and music written by him. The podcast can be found here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dark-stories-from-the-campfire/id1531508421. To contact Stephen, he is on Twitter @dark_campfire where he shares horror related material, as well as art, history, and occult materials.

Reference

Yeats, William Butler. “Magic.” https://hermetic.com/yeats/ideas-of-good-and-evil/magic

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Mastodon: https://is.nota.live/@marisad

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

I close out October with a brief summary of the life of Greek/Irish writer Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904). I examine ways in which his rather unique life may have influenced the ghost stories he is perhaps best known for, and read one of his stories (“The Corpse-Rider”).

References

Codrescu, Andrei. “The Many Lives of Lafcadio Hearn.” https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2019/07/02/the-many-lives-of-lafcadio-hearn/

Dee, Jonathan. “Why Lafcadio Hearn’s Ghost Stories Still Haunt Us.” https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/09/16/why-lafcadio-hearns-ghost-stories-still-haunt-us

Hearn, Lafcadio. “At Yaidzu.” In Ghostly Japan. Public Domain eBook.

Hearn, Lafcadio. “The Corpse-Rider.” Shadowings. Public Domain eBook.

Jusdanis, Gregory. “Lafcadio Hearn: Global Before Globalization.” https://shc.stanford.edu/arcade/interventions/lafcadio-hearn-global-globalization

Wikipedia. “Edo period.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo_period

Wikipedia. “Lafcadio Hearn.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lafcadio_Hearn

Wikipedia. “Meiji era.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_era

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

There were a lot of sightings of “sea serpents” during the Victorian Era. I discuss some well-known sightings, and explain why these mysterious creatures became an important part of 19th-century culture despite the genuine fear they inspired in so many people.

References

Coleman, Loren. Mysterious America: The Ultimate Guide to the Nation's Weirdest Wonders, Strangest Spots, and Creepiest Creatures. New York: Paraview, 2007.

Cooke, Simon. “Victorian Cryptozoology: The Great Sea-Serpent and its Cultural Representations.” https://victorianweb.org/history/cultural/seaserpent/cooke.html

Hall, Stephanie. “The Great American Sea Serpent.” https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2016/08/great-american-sea-serpent/

Lillywhite, Harvey. “There are dozens of sea snake species in the Indian and Pacific oceans, but none in the Caribbean. Why?” https://news.ufl.edu/articles/2018/03/there-are-dozens-of-sea-snake-species-in-the-indian-and-pacific-oceans-but-none-in-the-caribbean-why.html

Mellor, Joe. “Sightings of sea monsters by sailors directly influenced by discovery of fossils in 19th century.” https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/must-reads/weird-news/sightings-of-sea-monsters-by-sailors-directly-influenced-by-discovery-of-fossils-in-19th-century-129925/

Verne, Jules. Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/164

Wikipedia. “Eastern racer.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_racer

Wikipedia. “Linnaean Society of New England.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linnaean_Society_of_New_England

Wikipedia. “Sea Snake.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_snake

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

I am very excited to have Lindsay Valenty of the Ye Olde Crime podcast as TVVS’s first-ever guest! Lindsay provides us with lots of excellent information about Spring-Heeled Jack, who was far more than just a popular character from the penny dreadfuls.

You can learn more about Lindsay and her AWESOME podcast here: linktr.ee/yeoldecrime

Sources

Anonymous. “Spring-Heeled Jack: The Terror of London.” http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0602571h.html

Castelow, Ellen. “Spring Heeled Jack.” https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Spring-Heeled-Jack/

Grundhauser, Eric. “Meet Spring-Heeled Jack, the Leaping Devil That Terrorized Victorian England.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/meet-springheeled-jack-the-leaping-devil-that-terrorized-victorian-england

Lamoureux, Aimee. “The Legend Of Spring-Heeled Jack, The Victorian Demon Who Terrorized London.” https://allthatsinteresting.com/spring-heeled-jack

Nelson, January. “27 Facts About Spring-Heeled Jack, The Killer Who Could Be A Human Or Could Be A Creature.” https://thoughtcatalog.com/january-nelson/2018/08/spring-heeled-jack/

Scotsman, The. “Who was ‘Spring-heeled Jack’ who scared the women of Scotland?” https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/who-was-spring-heeled-jack-who-scared-women-scotland-547481

Ways to Help Hurricane Ian Victims

World Central Kitchen: https://wck.org

American Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/about-us/news-and-events/news/2022/red-cross-responds-to-hurricane-ian.html

Caring for Others, Inc.: https://caring4others.org/hurricane-disaster-relief/

Direct Relief: https://www.directrelief.org/emergency/hurricane-ian/

The Salvation Army: https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/news/the-salvation-army-prepares-for-hurricane-ian-as-fiona-relief-continues/

American Humane: https://www.americanhumane.org/monitoring-hurricane-ian/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyt-ZBhCNARIsAKH1174tRM5079zyHf20aBFiy1AVxL3MmW8UGoUaCO4a2EZrNnO3TCaLS4waAlgCEALw_wcB

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

I discovered poet/herpetologist Arthur O’Shaughnessy (1844-1881) earlier this week. In this episode, I explain why I find him so interesting, and read a few of his works.

References

Finnigan, Robert. “Arthur O’Shaughnessy: An Anglo-Irish Poet?” Nordic Irish Studies 17, no. 2 (2018): 55–74. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26657341.

Günther, Albert. “Seventh Contribution to the Knowledge of the Fauna of Madagascar.” https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/79589#page/371/mode/1up

Moulton, Louise Chandler. Arthur O'Shaughnessy : his life and his work, with selections from his poems. https://archive.org/details/arthuroshaughnes00osha_0/page/n15/mode/2up

O’Shaughnessy, Arthur. “Ode.” https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/54933/ode-

O’Shaughnessy, Arthur. “There Is an Earthly Glimmer in the Tomb.” https://archive.org/details/arthuroshaughnes00osha_0/page/n15/mode/2up

Wikipedia. “Arthur O'Shaughnessy.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_O%27Shaughnessy

Wikipedia. “Ode (poem).” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ode_(poem)

Woodyard, Chris, editor. The Victorian Book of the Dead. Kestrel Publications, 2014.

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

In my third and final (for now) episode on Victorian-Era stage magic, I look at the influence of imperialism on this art form, and ways in which Western magicians “Othered” non-Western cultures.

References

Goto-Jones, Christopher. “Magic, Modernity, and Orientalism: Conjuring Representations of Asia.” Modern Asian Studies, vol. 48, no. 6, 2014, pp. 1451–76. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24494638

Hopkins, Albert A. (ed.) Magic: stage illusions and scientific diversions, including trick photography. https://archive.org/details/magicstageillusi00hopk/page/16/mode/2up

Kellar, Harry. “High Caste Indian Magic.” The North American Review, vol. 156, no. 434, 1893, pp. 75–86. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25102513

Said, Edward. “Orientalism: a Brief Definition.” http://www.postcolonialweb.org/poldiscourse/pol11.html

Saki (H.H. Munro). “Reginald’s Christmas Revel.” The Complete Saki. New York: Penguin Books, 1982.

Stibbe, Arran. “ABRACADABRA, ALAKAZAM: Colonialism and the Discourse of Entertainment Magic.” Soundings: An Interdisciplinary Journal, vol. 88, no. 3/4, 2005, pp. 413–25. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41179134

Wikipedia. “John Nevil Maskelyne.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Nevil_Maskelyne

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

Also, thanks again to Lindsay & the Ye Olde Crime podcast for having me on their awesome show! Listen here to see if I Cracked the Cramp Word! https://goodpods.app.link/AJSIJEYrYsb

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

In my second episode on Victorian-Era stage magic, I discuss some of my favorite tricks and illusions from Magic: stage illusions and scientific diversions, including trick photography (1897), edited by Albert A. Hopkins.

References

Goulden, Anne. “Maskelyne & Cooke: the early years.” http://www.davenportcollection.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Goulden-Anne-2013-Hamburg.pdf

Goran, David. “Selected illustrations from a Victorian book on Magic published in 1897.” https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/04/06/selected-illustrations-victorian-book-magic-published-1897/?safari=1

Hopkins, Albert A. (ed.) Magic: stage illusions and scientific diversions, including trick photography. https://archive.org/details/magicstageillusi00hopk/page/16/mode/2up

MacRae, Meghan. “Death Is Not The End…A Victorian Book Of Magic And Illusion.” https://cvltnation.com/death-is-not-the-end-a-victorian-book-of-magic-and-illusion/

Wikipedia. “Alexander Herrmann.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Herrmann

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

The Victorian Era was something of a “golden age” for stage magic and illusions. I explain some of the conditions that helped magic shows become seen as a “respectable” form of entertainment, describe some of the venues in which shows were held, and introduce some of the larger-than-life performers whose craft is still emulated to this day.

References

American Museum of Magic. “The History of Magic.” https://americanmuseumofmagic.com/history-of-magic/

Ashton-Lelliott, Beatrice. “The Prestige: the real-life warring Victorian magicians who inspired the film.” https://theconversation.com/the-prestige-the-real-life-warring-victorian-magicians-who-inspired-the-film-165707/

Greene, Bryan. “For Harry Houdini, Séances and Spiritualism Were Just an Illusion.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/for-harry-houdini-seances-and-spiritualism-were-just-an-illusion-180978944/

Hopkins, Albert A. Magic: stage illusions and scientific diversions, including trick photography. https://archive.org/details/magicstageillusi00hopk/page/16/mode/2up

MacRae, Meghan. “Death Is Not The End…A Victorian Book Of Magic And Illusion.” https://cvltnation.com/death-is-not-the-end-a-victorian-book-of-magic-and-illusion/

Stephenson, Neal, and Nicole Galland. The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. New York: William Morrow, 2017.

University of Sheffield. “Magic and Illlusion.” https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/nfca/researchandarticles/magicandillusion

Wikipedia. “Egyptian Hall.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_Hall

Wikipedia. “Timeline of Magic.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_magic

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

Mourning etiquette was rather elaborate during the Victorian Era, particularly for women. I explain how Queen Victoria inspired these traditions, and look at recommended mourning periods, “widow’s weeds,” mourning warehouses, and (of course) the ubiquitous crepe.

References

Compass Rose Design. “History of Victorian Mourning Jewelry.” https://www.compassrosedesign.com/pages/history-of-victorian-mourning-jewelry

Duffy, E. B. The ladies' and gentlemen's etiquette: a complete manual of the manners and dress of American society. https://archive.org/details/ladiesgentlemens00duff/page/6/mode/2up

Gray, Kyrie. “Victorian Women Took Their Mourning Rituals Very Seriously.” https://medium.com/history-of-women/victorian-women-took-their-mourning-very-seriously-d64307f0ab87

Matthews, Mimi. “Shades of Victorian Fashion: Lilacs, Lavenders, Plums, and Purples.” https://www.mimimatthews.com/2016/08/22/shades-of-victorian-fashion-lilacs-lavenders-plums-and-purples/

McDaniel, Katherine. “Angels in Black: Victorian Women in Mourning.” https://greeleymuseums.com/victorian-women-in-mourning/

Sears, Jocelyn. “Wearing a 19th-Century Mourning Veil Could Result in — Twist — Death.” https://www.racked.com/2018/3/29/17156818/19th-century-mourning-veil#:~:text=Unfortunately%2C%20due%20to%20the%20dyes%20and%20chemicals%20used,in%20New%20York.%20Photo%3A%20TIMOTHY%20A.%20CLARY%2FAFP%2FGetty%20Images

Smith, Nicola. “In Mourning for Prince Albert.” https://www.historytoday.com/archive/feature/mourning-prince-albert

Tetrault, Sam. “Victorian Mourning: Dress & Customs Explained.” https://www.joincake.com/blog/victorian-mourning/

Walton, Geri. “Victorian Mourning: An Art Form in the 19th Century.” https://www.geriwalton.com/victorian-mourning/

Woodyard, Chris, editor. The Victorian Book of the Dead. Kestrel Publications, 2014.

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Check out the Dark Stories from the Campfire Podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3LgtKI4MvavrAHWGHxyIVU?si=cCXMeyuJRweKUFWY0a6OBA, or wherever you listen!

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

The Victorians didn’t play around when it came to death. In this episode, I look at how mourning dolls were created and their functions, and discuss the rationale behind “death kits” that were given to many children during this era.

References

Brand, Kara. “The Eerie Story Behind Victorian Mourning Dolls.” https://the-line-up.com/victorian-mourning-dolls

Cherrell, Kate. “The World of Victorian Grave Dolls.” https://burialsandbeyond.com/2019/01/20/the-world-of-victorian-grave-dolls/

Hung, Louise. “Cabinet of Curiosities: Victorian Death Dolls.” https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/article/cabinet-of-curiosities-victorian-death-dolls/

Merriam-Webster. “Memento mori.” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/memento%20mori

Phaneuf. “Artist Creates Victorian Mourning Dolls to Honor Death.” https://phaneuf.net/blog/artist-creates-victorian-mourning-dolls-to-honor-death#:~:text=Artist%20Flo%20Kane%2C%20of%20Gasport%2C%20New%20York%2C%20hosts,the%20replicas%20of%20babies%20and%20children%20mentioned%20above.

Quinn, Shannon. “10 Strange Mourning Items From The Victorian Era.” https://listverse.com/2017/11/28/10-strange-mourning-items-from-the-victorian-era/

Werther and Gray. “The Era of the Beautiful Death.” https://www.wertherandgray.com/blogs/news/the-era-of-the-beautiful-death-victorian-mourning-practices

Wikipedia. “Reborn doll.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reborn_doll

Wikipedia. “Victorian mourning dolls.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_mourning_dolls

Woodyard, Chris, editor. The Victorian Book of the Dead. Kestrel Publications, 2014.

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

Although prosthetic limbs have existed since ancient times, the demand for them and, subsequently, the way in which they were designed and produced changed dramatically around the turn of the nineteenth century. I describe advancements in prostheses during the Victorian Era, and discuss ways in which wearers of artificial limbs were described in literature of the period (particularly by Charles Dickens).

References

Armfield, Julia. “Armed and Dangerous – Victorian Prosthetics (Part 2).” https://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/untoldlives/2013/10/armed-and-dangerous-victorian-prosthetics-part-2.html

Armfield, Julia. “Without a Leg to Stand On – Victorian Prosthetics.” https://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/untoldlives/2013/10/without-a-leg-to-stand-on-victorian-prosthetics.html

Dickens, Charles. Dombey & Son. http://www.online-literature.com/dickens/dombey/10/

Doctorow, Cory. “Victorian ‘rather sinister’ artificial arm and hand.” https://boingboing.net/2010/08/30/victorian-rather-sin.html

Gavin, Adrienne E. “Dickens, Wegg, and Wooden Legs.” https://omf.ucsc.edu/london-1865/victorian-city/wooden-legs.html

Hanger Clinic. “Prosthetics.” https://hangerclinic.com/prosthetics/

MacRae, Michael. “The Civil War and the Birth of the U.S Prosthetics Industry.” https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/the-civil-war-and-birth-of-us-prosthetics-industry

Merriam-Webster. “Prosthesis.” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prosthesis

Oatman-Stanford, Hunter. “War & Prosthetics: How Veterans Fought for the Perfect Artificial Limb.” https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/war-and-prosthetics/

Rinquist, Abraham. “10 Ancient Prosthetics.” https://listverse.com/2016/12/08/10-ancient-prosthetics/

“The Ballad of the Cork Leg.” https://cotyroneireland.com/poems/ballard-cork-leg.html

Warne, Vanessa. “Artificial Leg.” https://www.jstor.org/stable/41220393

Wikipedia. “Catgut.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catgut

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

For a change of pace, I read “The City in the Sea” and “The Haunted Palace” by Edgar Allan Poe.

References

Poe, Edgar Allan. “The City in the Sea.” https://poets.org/poem/city-sea

Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Haunted Palace.” https://poets.org/poem/haunted-palace

Wikipedia. “The City in the Sea.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_City_in_the_Sea#:~:text=%22%20The%20City%20in%20the%20Sea%20%22%20is,of%20Death%20using%20common%20elements%20from%20Gothic%20fiction.

Wikipedia. “The Haunted Palace (poem).” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Haunted_Palace_(poem)

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

Although taxidermy predated the Victorian Era, this practice reached the peak of its popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I discuss ways in which taxidermy became accessible to the public during the Victorian Era, and consider what it meant on a cultural and social level.

References

Brown, Thomas. The Taxidermists Manual. https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.221209/page/n31/mode/2up

Burgan, Rebecca. “Anthropomorphic Taxidermy: How Dead Rodents Became the Darlings of the Victorian Elite.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/anthropomorphic-taxidermy-how-dead-rodents-became-the-darlings-of-the-victorian-elite

Cruikshank, Drew. “Victorian Taxidermy and the Peculiar Life of Walter Potter.” https://www.friendsofdalnavert.ca/blog/2020/7/12/victorian-taxidermy-and-the-peculiar-life-of-walter-potter

Flint, David. “The Bizarre and Disturbing World of Victorian Taxidermy Hats.” https://reprobatepress.com/2021/10/15/the-bizarre-and-disturbing-world-of-victorian-taxidermy-hats/

Johnson, Ben. “The Great Exhibition 1851.” https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Great-Exhibition-of-1851/

Maiorano, Hannah. “The Victorian Naturalist and their Interest in Taxidermy.” https://mollybrown.org/victorian-naturalist-interest-taxidermy/

Rogers, Brooke. “The Art of Victorian Taxidermy.” https://www.museums.iastate.edu/virtual/blog/2020/07/30/the-art-of-victorian-taxidermy

Taxidermy Hobbyist. “Victorian Taxidermy.” https://taxidermyhobbyist.com/history-of-taxidermy/victorian-taxidermy.html

Wikipedia. “Thomas Brown (naturalist).” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Brown_(naturalist)

Would, Alice. “The Curious Creatures of Victorian Taxidermy.” https://www.historytoday.com/miscellanies/curious-creatures-victorian-taxidermy

Wright, Steve. “What is Taxidermy? – Everything you didn’t know.” https://taxidermy.blog/what-is-taxidermy/#:~:text=Steve%20Wright%20What%20is%20Taxidermy%3F%20Taxidermy%20is%20the,carefully%20modeling%20its%20features%20in%20a%20lifelike%20attitude.

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

Punch Magazine was a British weekly that played a pivotal role in Western satire for over 150 years. I focus on the development of this publication in the 1840s & its influence during the Victorian Era, & also talk a bit about why I think humor & satire are important.

References

Cooke, Simon. “Richard Doyle and the front cover of Punch.” https://victorianweb.org/art/design/books/cooke12.html

Dictionary.com. “Punchinello.” https://www.dictionary.com/browse/punchinello

Dryasdust, Smelfungus. “Treading on the Fairies’ Tales.” Punch, January 18, 1879.

Internet Archive. “Punch 1841-1992.” https://archive.org/details/pub_punch

Kennedy, Philip. “”How Punch Magazine Changed Everything.” https://illustrationchronicles.com/How-Punch-Magazine-Changed-Everything

New World Encyclopedia. “Punch (magazine).” https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Punch_(magazine)

“The Arsenic Waltz.” Punch, February 8, 1862.

“‘What’s in a Name?’ indeed!” Punch, April 5, 1879.

Wikipedia. “Le Charivari.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Charivari

Wikipedia. “Punch (magazine).” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punch_(magazine)

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

Art, and the pursuit of pleasure and beauty, were of the utmost importance among members of the Aesthetic Movement in the second half of the 19th century, such as Oscar Wilde and William Morris (to name a few). I explain how Aestheticism was a reaction to certain Victorian-Era ideals, discuss some of the biggest influences on the Aesthetes, and describe characteristics and examples of Aesthetic art and literature.

References

“Aestheticism: The Art of Beauty.” https://exploringyourmind.com/aestheticism-the-art-of-beauty/#:~:text=Aestheticism%20was%20an%20artistic%20movement%20that%20arose%20against,freedom%20of%20expression%20against%20the%20restrictive%20Victorian%20conformity.

Britannica. “Arts and Crafts movement.” https://www.britannica.com/art/Arts-and-Crafts-movement

British Literature Wiki. “Aestheticism.” https://sites.udel.edu/britlitwiki/aestheticism/

British Literature Wiki. “The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.” https://sites.udel.edu/britlitwiki/the-pre-raphaelite-brotherhood/

De la Bedoyere, Camilla. Art Nouveau. London: Flame Tree, 2005. Print.

Souter, Anna. “The Aesthetic Movement Overview and Analysis.” https://www.theartstory.org/movement/aesthetic-art/

Victoria and Albert Museum. “An introduction to the Aesthetic Movement.” https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/an-introduction-to-the-aesthetic-movement

“Victorian Era Aestheticism Movement Definition.” http://victorian-era.org/victorian-era-aestheticism.html

Wilde, Oscar. “The Decay of Lying: An Observation.” https://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/comm/steen/cogweb/Abstracts/Wilde_1889.html

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Harper & Row, 1989. Print.

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

We may (rightly) think of tuberculosis as a deadly disease, but many people saw it as much more during the 19th century. After a brief discussion of the disease itself, I explore ways in which TB was woven into Victorian-Era art and culture.

References

Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre: An Autobiography. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1260/1260-h/1260-h.htm

Clarke, Imogen. “Tuberculosis: A Fashionable Disease?” https://blog.sciencemuseum.org.uk/tuberculosis-a-fashionable-disease/

Crowell, Rachel. “How Tuberculosis Made Edgar Allan Poe Famous.” https://www.rewire.org/edgar-allan-poe/

Dickens, Charles. Nicholas Nickleby (Chapter 49). http://www.online-literature.com/dickens/nickleby/51/

Draper, Matthew. “The Tuberculosis Epidemic.” https://www.familyhistory.co.uk/the-tuberculosis-epidemic/

Ferro, Shaunacy. “The Anti-Spitting Campaigns Designed to Stop the Spread of Tuberculosis.” https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/561579/tuberculosis-anti-spitting-campaigns

Knapp, Mary Frances. “‘Death in the Sick Room’ by Edvard Munch.” https://blog.sevenponds.com/soulful-expressions/death-in-the-sick-room-by-edvard-munch.

Mullin, Emily. “How Tuberculosis Shaped Victorian Fashion.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-tuberculosis-shaped-victorian-fashion-180959029/

Ogden, Philippa. “Romanticizing Death: Art in the Age of Tuberculosis.” https://www.thecollector.com/tuberculosis-art/

Smith, Lauren. “Then vs. Now: What Happened to Consumption?” https://www.healthination.com/health/infections/then-vs-now-consumption/

Trista. “Tuberculosis Became the Victorian Standard of Beauty.” https://historycollection.com/tuberculosis-became-the-victorian-standard-of-beauty/

**Also, check out the Ye Olde Crime podcast here: https://www.yeoldecrimepodcast.com

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

I discuss the difference between imperialism & colonialism & some prominent examples of both throughout world history, then focus on how Britain became the “global policeman” during the Victorian Era.

Sources

Burk, Kathleen. “Great Britain and the ‘Scramble for Africa’.” https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/great-britain-and-the-scramble-for-africa#:~:text=Professor%20Kathleen%20Burk%20The%20scramble%20for%20Africa%20in,her%20into%20repeated%20conflict%20with%20the%20French%20Empire.

Coffee Bean, The. “The Victorian Era and the British Empire.” https://greencoffeehk.com/the-victorian-era-and-the-british-empire/

Historyplex. “Facts About Imperialism.” https://historyplex.com/facts-about-imperialism

Longley, Robert. “What Is Imperialism? Definition and Historical Perspective.” https://www.thoughtco.com/imperialism-definition-4587402

Said, Edward W. Culture and Imperialism. New York: Vintage, 1993. Print.

Tassell, Nige. “The Victorians and the British Empire: a brief guide and timeline.” https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/victorians-british-empire-brief-guide-timeline-expansion/

Verne, Jules. Round the World in Eighty Days. Translated by Henry Frith. Public Domain eBook.

Victorian Era. “British Empire During Victorian Era.” http://victorian-era.org/british-empire-victorian-era.html

Victorian School. “The British Empire.” http://www.victorianschool.co.uk/empire.html

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

Tattooing may not be the first thing that comes to mind for many of us when we think of the Victorian Era, but I discuss how & why tattooing became popular among members of the working-class & elite alike in the U.K. & the U.S. during the 19th Century.

Sources

Belden, Elisha. “The History of Christianity and Tattoo Culture.” https://www.tattoo.com/blog/history-christianity-tattoo-culture/

Black Widow Tattoo. “Tattoo Pioneers: Samuel O’Reilly.” https://www.widowtattoo.com/blog/tattoo-pioneers-samuel-oreilly

Clark, Nick. “Sutherland Macdonald: Britain's first professional tattoo artist celebrated in new exhibition at the Museum of London.” https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/sutherland-macdonald-britain-s-first-professional-tattoo-artist-celebrated-in-new-exhibition-at-the-museum-of-london-a6804396.html

Compass Rose Design. “Tattoo Culture in the Victorian Era.” https://www.compassrosedesign.com/blogs/blog/tattoos-victorians-and-class-lines

Gallagher, Paul. “Tattoo You: Meet Victorian England’s First Tattoo Artist.” https://dangerousminds.net/comments/tattoo_you_meet_victorian_englands_first_tattoo_artist

Shoemaker, Robert, & Zoe Alker. “How Tattoos Became Fashionable in Victorian England.” https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/tattoos-victorian-england-conversation/index.html

Taylor, Emma. “Naughty Secrets, Full-Body Statements, Convict Codes– Tattoos In Victorian Times Were More Popular Than You Think!” https://www.sugarplumromance.com/history-of-tattoos/

Walton, Geri. “Tattooing: A Fad of the Late 19th Century.” https://www.geriwalton.com/tattooing-a-fad-of-the-late-nineteenth-century/

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

In the second episode of my 2-part series on Victorian-Era mental hospitals, I examine key individuals in the asylum movement in the U.S. during this period, as well as the planning & construction of these institutions, “asylum tourism,” & how easily this system was abused.

Sources

Bazar, Jennifer L., and Jeremy T. Burman. “Asylum tourism.” https://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/02/asylum-tourism

Dix, Dorothea L. “Memorial to the Legislature of Massachusetts 1843.” https://college.cengage.com/history/ayers_primary_sources/dorothea_dix_speaks_insane_persons.htm

Hakenson, Casey. “Why Could You Be Sent to an ‘Insane Asylum’ in 19th Century America?” http://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2021/8/8/why-could-you-be-sent-to-an-insane-asylum-in-19th-century-america

Kelly, Debra. “What Really Went on Behind Closed Doors at a Victorian-Era Asylum.” https://www.grunge.com/141866/what-really-went-on-behind-closed-doors-at-a-victorian-era-asylum/

“Kirkbride Buildings.” http://www.kirkbridebuildings.com

Kirkbride, Thomas Story. “On The Construction, Organization and General Arrangements of Hospitals For The Insane.” https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/organizations/state-institutions/kirkbride-thomas-story/

Markel, Howard. “Dorothea Dix’s tireless fight to end inhumane treatment for mental health patients.” https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/dorothea-dixs-tireless-fight-to-end-inhumane-treatment-for-mental-health-patients

Moore, Kate. “Declared Insane for Speaking Up: The Dark American History of Silencing Women Through Psychiatry.” https://time.com/6074783/psychiatry-history-women-mental-health/

Ruffalo, Mark L. “The American Mental Asylum: A Remnant of History.” https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freud-fluoxetine/201807/the-american-mental-asylum-remnant-history

“Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.” http://trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com/main/history.html

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

The construction of mental asylums, & the number of patients they housed, increased dramatically during the Victorian Era. In this episode, I look at some 19th-century legislation regarding the construction of asylums & the treatment of patients in the U.K., as well as some common practices in British asylums during this time.

Sources

Dance, Caecilia. “A history of Bedlam, the world’s most notorious asylum.” https://www.danceshistoricalmiscellany.com/history-bedlam-worlds-notorious-asylum/

Historic England. “The Growth of the Asylum - a Parallel World.” https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/1832-1914/the-growth-of-the-asylum/

Mander, Joe. “A History of Mental Asylums.” http://beyondthepoint.co.uk/a-history-of-mental-asylums/

Masked AMHP, The. “A Stroll Down Memory Lane: The Lunatic Asylums Act 1853.” https://themaskedamhp.blogspot.com/2012/05/stroll-down-memory-lane-lunatic-asylums.html

McBeath, VL. “Victorian Era Lunatic Asylums.” https://valmcbeath.com/victorian-era-lunatic-asylums/#.YhFAty08L4A

Science Museum. “A Victorian Mental Asylum.” https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/medicine/victorian-mental-asylum

Shepherd, Jade. “Treating Mental Illness in Victorian Britain.” https://activisthistory.com/2017/05/19/treating-mental-illness-in-victorian-britain/

Tuke, Samuel. Description of the Retreat, Chapter 5. https://medicine.yale.edu/psychiatry/education/residency/training/residentled/Samuel%20Tuke_102525_284_13689_v1.pdf

Victorian Era. “Victorian Era Asylums.” https://victorian-era.org/victorian-era-asylums.html

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

Surgery was a bloody and unsanitary business for much of the Victorian Era. I discuss some common practices of surgeons of the period, and describe the atmosphere in which they operated.

References

Blazeski, Goran. “Robert Liston performed the only operation with a 300% mortality rate; His patient, his assistant and a spectator died.” https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/12/05/robert-liston-performed-the-only-operation-with-a-300-mortality-rate-his-patient-his-assistant-and-a-spectator-died/?safari=1

“Ether and Chloroform.” https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/ether-and-chloroform

Fitzharris, Lindsey. The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine. Narrated by Ralph Lister. Audible, 2017. Audiobook.

Hewitt, D.G. “19 Unbelievable and Gruesome Facts about 19th Century Surgery.” https://historycollection.com/19-unbelievable-and-gruesome-facts-about-19th-century-surgery/11/

“John Snow.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Snow

Mayo Clinic. “MRSA infection.” https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mrsa/symptoms-causes/syc-20375336.

McNamara, Alexander. “Joseph Lister and the grim reality of Victorian surgery.” https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/joseph-lister-and-the-grim-reality-of-victorian-surgery/

Merryweather, Cheish. “10 Gruesome And Shocking Facts About Victorian Surgery.” https://listverse.com/2019/01/15/10-gruesome-and-shocking-facts-about-victorian-surgery/

Royal College of Surgeons of England. “History of the RCS.” https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/about-the-rcs/history-of-the-rcs/

Steampunk Tribune. “Medical doctors in the Victorian Era.” https://steampunktribune.com/medical-doctors-in-victorian-era/

Zhang, Sarah. “The Gruesome, Bloody World of Victorian Surgery.” https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/10/the-gruesome-bloody-world-of-victorian-surgery/543552/

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

Arsenic was pretty much everywhere one looked during the Victorian Era, and although we may have heard about it being used in murder, a large number of arsenic poisonings were accidental. I discuss arsenic’s presence throughout history, how and why it became widely available during the Victorian Era, and why it was used in so many consumer products of the time (especially wallpaper).

References

Barrell, Helen. “Poison Panic.” https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Poison-Panic/

Feldkamp, Katherine. “Death on the Doorstep: Arsenic in Victorian Wallpaper.” https://www.slam.org/blog/arsenic-in-victorian-wallpaper/

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “The Yellow Wallpaper.” https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/theliteratureofprescription/exhibitionAssets/digitalDocs/The-Yellow-Wall-Paper.pdf

Haslam, Jessica Charlotte. “Deadly décor: a short history of arsenic poisoning in the nineteenth century.” http://journals.ed.ac.uk/resmedica/article/download/182/799/0

Hickey, Andrea. “Victorians Were Obsessed With A Shade Of Green That Killed Them.” https://www.buzzfeed.com/agh/green-fashion-arsenic-victorian-1800s-killer-dye

“History of nicotine marketing.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_nicotine_marketing#:~:text=The%20first%20known%20nicotine%20advertisement%20in%20the%20United,quality%2C%20not%20brand%20name%2C%20until%20after%20the%201840s.

Lindley, Robin. “Victorians' secret.” https://crosscut.com/2010/09/arsenic-victorians-secret

“The Facts on Arsenic.” https://sites.dartmouth.edu/toxmetal/arsenic/the-facts-on-arsenic/

Wood, DeeDee. “The Poison of Arsenic in Victorian Era.” https://shorehomeandgarden.com/2021/11/01/the-poison-of-arsenic-in-victorian-era/

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate this podcast on Spotify, or leave a review on Apple Podcasts, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

The invention of photography in the first half of the 19th century had a powerful impact on the Victorian Era. I briefly describe early photographic processes (especially the daguerreotype), explain how and why postmortem photography became a common Victorian-Era practice, and look at some recent controversy surrounding it.

References

Browning, Elizabeth Barrett. “Outline and Shadow.” https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/arts-letters/outline-and-shadow

Carlton, Genevieve. “27 Victorian Death Photos — And The Disturbing History Behind Them.” https://allthatsinteresting.com/victorian-death-photos

DeVelvis, Melissa. “Death, Immortalized: Victorian Post-Mortem Photography.” https://www.clarabartonmuseum.org/post-mortem-photography/

Heichelbech, Rose. “The Truth about Victorian Post-Mortem Photographs.” https://liveplayeat.com/victorian-post-mortem-photographs/

Sontag, Susan, quoted by Leslie Camhi. “Memento Mori.” https://www.villagevoice.com/2006/06/13/memento-mori/

Sussex Photo History. “The Daguerreotype Process.” http://photohistory-sussex.co.uk/dagprocess.htm

Vatomsky, Sonya. “Clearing Up Some Myths About Victorian ‘Postmortem’ Photographs.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/victorian-post-mortem-photographs

West, Nancy. “Pictures of Death.” https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/07/pictures-of-death/534060/

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate this podcast on Spotify, or leave a review on Apple Podcasts, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Also, I want to give a huge THANK YOU to Jason and Lisa of the Designated Quizzers podcast for all of their support of this show! You can check out their latest episode here (or wherever you listen!): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/designated-quizzers-podcast/id1598591568?i=1000547098163

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

Victorian-Era holiday cards featured a variety of memorable themes, many of which we might consider dark and disturbing today. However, as I explain in this episode, the tone of these cards becomes more understandable when you consider the fact that Christmas cards were a new concept at the time and the social context in which many Victorians lived.

References

Alvar, Oliver G. “The Crazy Reason Why There Are Dead Birds On Victorian Christmas Cards.” https://culturacolectiva.com/design/victorian-christmas-cards-weird-dead-birds

Baghsaw, Marcus. “Origins of the Victorian Christmas card.” https://brightonmuseums.org.uk/discover/2018/11/23/origins-of-the-victorian-christmas-card/#!

Bar, Sarune. “57 Victorian Christmas Cards That Are As Creepy As Those Times Themselves.” https://www.boredpanda.com/creepy-victorian-vintage-christmas-cards/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

Kruse, Colton. “The History of Creepy Victorian Christmas Cards.” https://www.ripleys.com/weird-news/creepy-victorian-christmas-cards/

Ponti, Crystal. “Some of the Earliest Christmas Cards Were Morbid and Creepy.” https://www.history.com/news/victorian-christmas-cards

Sayers, Karen A. “The changing styles of Christmas cards: from the Victorian age to the early 20th century.” https://leedsunilibrary.wordpress.com/2021/12/15/the-changing-styles-of-christmas-cards-from-the-victorian-age-to-the-early-20th-century/

Victorian Era. “Victorian Christmas Cards – Wishing Christmas In Its Original Way.” http://victorian-era.org/victorian-christmas-cards-wishing-christmas-original-way.html

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate this podcast on Spotify, or leave a review on Apple Podcasts, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

This episode contains a discussion of drug manufacturing & use during the Victorian Era. Listener discretion is strongly recommended.

Victorian-Era pharmacies were groundbreaking, in that they provided the general public with easy access to health care for the first time. I explain how these establishments came about & how the services offered at Victorian pharmacies differed from those offered by physicians, & also discuss some drugs that were commonly used during this time.

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

References

“Cigares de Joy.” https://thequackdoctor.com/index.php/cigares-de-joy/

Cock-Starkey, Claire. “The Lure of Laudanum, the Victorians' Favorite Drug.” https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/89268/lure-laudanum-victorians-favorite-drug

Crane, Louise. “Drugs in Victorian Britain.” https://wellcomecollection.org/articles/W87wthIAACQizfap

Diniejko, Andrzej. “Victorian Drug Use.” https://victorianweb.org/science/addiction/addiction2.html

“Magee's Coca Wine.” https://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2011/06/magees-coca-wine.html

“Medical doctors in the Victorian Era.” https://steampunktribune.com/medical-doctors-in-victorian-era/

“Medicine in the 18th century.” https://www.britannica.com/science/history-of-medicine/Medicine-in-the-18th-century

O’Neill, Therese, & Scott Beggs. “25 Terrifying 18th Century Remedies for What Ails You.” https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/65413/15-terrifying-18th-century-remedies-what-ails-you

“Pharmacy Act 1868.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmacy_Act_1868

Staci, Kristen. “What Is An Apothecary? A Quick History Of Organic Pharmacies.” https://www.healthworkscollective.com/what-is-an-apothecary-a-quick-history-of-organic-pharmacies/

Trickey, Erick. “Inside the Story of America’s 19th-Century Opiate Addiction.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/inside-story-americas-19th-century-opiate-addiction-180967673/

Waite, Kathryn. “Victorian Medicine.” https://simplehistory.co.uk/victorian-medicine/

Williams, Lana. “Apothecaries and Medicine in the Victorian Era.” https://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/2015/01/apothecaries-and-medicine-in-victorian.html

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

Now viewed mostly as a pseudoscience, phrenology was popular during much of the Victorian Era. I discuss how phrenology evolved from its late 18th-century origins, and explore some ways in which phrenology was used during the Victorian Age.

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

References

Bronte, Charlotte. Villette (Chapter 17). http://www.online-literature.com/brontec/villette/17/

Finger, Stanley. “Franz Joseph Gall and the Origins of Phrenology.” https://becker.wustl.edu/news/franz-joseph-gall-and-the-origins-of-phrenology/

Ktitowsky. “Phrenology and ‘Scientific Racism’ in the 19th Century.” https://pages.vassar.edu/realarchaeology/2017/03/05/phrenology-and-scientific-racism-in-the-19th-century/

Poskett, James. “The Victorian phrenology craze.” https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/victorian-phrenology-explain-what-queen-victoria/

Souter, Keith. “Heads for Murder: The Victorian Pseudo-Science of Phrenology.” https://thecra.co.uk/heads-for-murder-the-victorian-pseudo-science-of-phrenology-dr-keith-souter/

Stevenson, Robert Louis. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Chap. 10).https://genius.com/Robert-louis-stevenson-strange-case-of-dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde-chap-10-annotated

Van Wyhe, John. “The History of Phrenology.” https://www.victorianweb.org/science/phrenology/intro.html

Vaught, L.A. Vaught’s Practical Character Reader. https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/vaught-s-practical-character-reader-1902

Victorian Era. “Victorian Era Phrenology.” http://victorian-era.org/victorian-era-phrenology.html#:~:text=Phrenology%20is%20a%20pseudomedicine%20primarily%20focused%20on%20measurements,started%20to%20be%20questioned%20by%20the%20general%20public.

Walker-Journey, Jennifer. “Why Was Phrenology All the Rage in Victorian Times?” https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/phrenology.htm

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

Science fiction is not a genre many of us associate with the Victorian Era. I explain why I think this is a big mistake, and look at some ways in which Victorian-Era writers like H.G. Wells & Jules Verne continue to inspire contemporary sci-fi writers.

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Also, I’m a fan of Dancing Among the Remains, a podcast by the Twisted Libra! You can check out the latest episode of her podcast here: https://anchor.fm/twistedlibra/episodes/Vamping-Out-Part-2-e1a5083

References

Evans, Arthur B. “Jules Verne.” https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jules-Verne

Fox, Essie. “The Victorians and Science Fiction…” https://virtualvictorian.blogspot.com/2011/06/victorians-and-science-fiction.html

Karp, Jared. “The 19th-Century Roots of Science Fiction.” https://storiusmag.com/the-19th-century-roots-of-science-fiction-d14ef75ddd61

Keckley, Nathan. “Monsters and Machines: Science Fiction in the Victorian Era.” https://hunterhousemuseum1894.wordpress.com/2017/09/08/

“Steam Powered Victorian Era Robots Failed Miserably But Inspired Science Fiction Stories.” https://racingnelliebly.com/weirdscience/steam-powered-victorian-era-robots-failed-inspired-sci-fi/

“Steampunk.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk

“The War of the Worlds (1938 radio drama).” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_(1938_radio_drama)#:~:text=Orson%20Welles%20tells%20reporters%20that%20no%20one%20connected,on%20the%20Air%20%2011%20more%20rows%20

Wells, H.G. The War of the Worlds. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/36/36-h/36-h.htm

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

Taphophobia (the fear of being buried alive) was common during the Victorian Era. I discuss some reasons why this was the case, and describe inventions that were developed to prevent it from happening, such as safety coffins and waiting mortuaries.

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

References

Alexa. “Being Buried Alive Was So Common in the Victorian Era That Doctors Used these 10 Methods to Prevent It.” https://historycollection.com/buried-alive-common-victorian-era-doctors-used-10-methods-prevent/10/

Heichelbech, Rose. “Victorians’ Phobia of Premature Burial Reached Hysterical Heights.” https://dustyoldthing.com/buried-alive-safety-coffins/

Lenora. “Premature Burial and helpful hints on how not to get buried alive.” https://hauntedpalaceblog.wordpress.com/2013/10/05/premature-burial-and-helpful-hints-on-how-not-to-get-buried-alive/

Liam. “Victorian Era Fear of Being Buried Alive and Post-Mortem Photography.” https://www.bizarrepedia.com/victorian-coffins-post-mortem/

Lovejoy, Bess. “The Horror of Premature Burial.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/31-days-of-halloween-premature-burial

Morton, Ella. “Scratch Marks on Her Coffin: Tales of Premature Burial.” https://slate.com/human-interest/2014/10/buried-alive-victorian-vivisepulture-safety-coffins-and-rufina-cambaceres.html

Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Premature Burial.” https://poestories.com/read/premature

Scanlon, Gina. “What It Was Really Like Being a Grave Robber.” https://www.grunge.com/253658/what-it-was-really-like-being-a-grave-robber/

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

As a follow-up to my previous episode, in which I briefly explained the basis for Victorian-Era Spiritualism before discussing the rise and fall of the Fox Sisters, I examine conditions in 19th century British and American society that I believe help to explain why Spiritualism appealed to so many individuals of all social classes during this period.

References:

Bond, Charlotte. “How Spiritualism Gave Victorian Women a Voice.” https://www.thevintagenews.com/2021/06/16/spiritualism-gave-victorian-women-voice/

Diniejko, Andrzej. “Victorian Spiritualism.” https://www.victorianweb.org/religion/spirit.html

Doyle, Arthur Conan. “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Adventure 3, A Case of Identity.” https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/32/the-adventures-of-sherlock-holmes/347/adventure-3-a-case-of-identity/

Highland, Maria. “Victorian Spiritualism and Seances.” https://reframingthevictorians.blogspot.com/2014/03/victorian-spiritualism-and-seances_12.html

Sedlak-Hevener, Amanda. “Odd Details about Victorian Era Spiritualism.” https://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-victorian-era-spiritualism-and-the-occult/amandasedlakhevener

“Supernatural Victorian Era.” http://victorian-era.org/supernatural-victorian-era.html#:~:text=Supernatural%20Victorian%20Era%20The%20Victorian%20era%20marked%20the,beliefs.%20England%20witnessed%20some%20sort%20of%20a%20contradiction.

“Victorian Spiritualism and Spiritualists.” http://victorian-era.org/victorian-spiritualism-spiritualists.html

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

If you’d like to support the show financially, you can do so here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

In the first episode of a 2-part series on Victorian-Era Spiritualism, I will briefly describe what inspired this movement and its core beliefs, then focus on Maggie and Kate Fox, who are credited by many with helping to put the beliefs of Spiritualism into practice in Hydesville, New York, in 1848.

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

If you’d like to support the show financially, you can do so here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

References

Abbott, Karen. “The Fox Sisters and the Rap on Spiritualism.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-fox-sisters-and-the-rap-on-spiritualism-99663697/

American Hauntings Ink. “The Haunted Museum: The Fox Sisters. The Rise and Fall of Spiritualism’s Founders.” https://www.americanhauntingsink.com/foxsisters

Askins, Alice. “Very Mysterious: The Fox Sisters and the Spiritualist Movement.” https://historicgeneva.org/recreation/fox-sisters/

Diniejko, Andrzej. “Victorian Spiritualism.” https://www.victorianweb.org/victorian/religion/spirit.html

Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. “Fox Sisters.” https://occult-world.com/fox-sisters/

Highland, Maria. “Victorian Spiritualism and Séances.” https://reframingthevictorians.blogspot.com/2014/03/victorian-spiritualism-and-seances_12.html

Mad Halloween. “How the Fox Sisters Gave Rise to Modern Spiritualism.” https://madhalloween.com/how-the-fox-sisters-gave-rise-to-modern-spiritualism/

Occult Museum. “Speaking with Spirits: The Fox Sisters and the Birth of Spiritualism.” http://www.theoccultmuseum.com/speaking-spirits-fox-sisters-birth-spiritualism/

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

According to many sources, the Victorians are seen as having been obsessed with death. In the first of what I anticipate will be numerous episodes concerning this topic, I explain why some of their views on death originated, and describe some common customs and superstitions regarding mourning and funeral rituals.

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Also, I recently discussed Edwardian satirist H.H. Munro (Saki) on my other podcast! You can listen here: https://anchor.fm/marisa-delle-farfalle/episodes/H--H--Munro-Saki-Master-of-Satire-and-the-Short-Story-e177p7g/a-a5bp7hb

References

Alfred, Lord Tennyson. “Crossing the Bar.” https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45321/crossing-the-bar

Carroll, Stephanie. “Why Were Victorians Obsessed with Death?” http://www.unhingedhistorian.com/2012/11/why-were-victorians-obsessed-with-death.html

Dickinson, Emily. “Because I could not stop for Death.” https://poets.org/poem/because-i-could-not-stop-death-479

Hunter, D. Lyn. “A Victorian Obsession With Death.” https://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2000/04/05/death.html

Mendoza, Marilyn A. “Death and Mourning Practices in the Victorian Age.” https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/understanding-grief/201812/death-and-mourning-practices-in-the-victorian-age

Oliveto, Joe. “Victorian Funerals: Customs, Attire & Other Traditions.” https://www.joincake.com/blog/victorian-funeral/

Pennington, Jackie. “Victorian Superstitions : Why Death Was So Important.” https://thepenningtonedition.wordpress.com/2014/05/09/victorian-superstitions-why-death-was-so-important/

Trowbridge, Serena. “Cities of the dead: the Victorian obsession with graveyards.” https://theconversation.com/cities-of-the-dead-the-victorian-obsession-with-graveyards-137722

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

I explain how the freak show became a popular form of entertainment during the Victorian Era, and discuss ways in which the freak show can be seen as problematic from a modern-day perspective.

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

I’d also really appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

References

Cameron, Stuart. “19th Century Britain and the Rise of the ‘Freak Show’ Industry.” http://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2019/5/6/19th-century-britain-and-the-rise-of-the-freak-show-industry#.YTPCdy33b4A=

Cleall, Esme. “Missing Links: The Victorian Freak Show.” https://www.historytoday.com/archive/feature/missing-links-victorian-freak-show

Dimensions. “The history of the Freak Show and the legendary freaks who promoted the popular attractions.” https://www.altereddimensions.net/2014/history-freak-show

Durbach, Nadja. “On the Emergence of the Freak Show in Britain.” https://www.branchcollective.org/?ps_articles=art_emergence_of_the_freak

Fox, Essie. “The Victorians Loved a Freak Show…” https://virtualvictorian.blogspot.com/2010/07/victorians-did-love-good-freak-show.html

“Freak Show.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freak_show

Haverton, Patricia. “The Controversial Victorian Freak Shows.” https://cobaltfairy.com/controversial-victorian-freak-shows/

“Joseph Merrick.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Merrick

Rosehill, Harry. “The Freak Show Empire Across Victorian London.” https://londonist.com/london/history/the-freak-show-shops-that-once-ruled-london

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

I examine how Franz Anton Mesmer’s theory of “animal magnetism” in the eighteenth century was adapted and received in 19th century Britain and America.

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

I’d also really appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

References:

“Chris.” “Professor John Elliotson: The Curious Case of a Victorian Mesmerist.” Inquisitive Wonder, April 17, 2020, https://inquisitivewonder.com/professor-john-elliotson-the-curious-case-of-a-victorian-mesmerist/.

Debczak, Michele. “Charles Dickens, Part-Time Mesmerist.” Mental Floss, July 4, 2017, https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/500938/charles-dickens-part-time-mesmerist.

“Franz Anton Mesmer.” The History of Hypnosis, 2019, http://www.historyofhypnosis.org/franz-anton-mesmer.html.

Manson, Deborah. “The 19th-Century Pseudo-Science Trend That Gave Us ‘Animal Magnetism.’” Zocalo Public Square, June 27, 2018, https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2018/06/27/19th-century-pseudo-science-trend-gave-us-animal-magnetism/ideas/essay/.

Poe, Edgar A. “Mesmeric Revelation.” Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore, September 4, 2015, https://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/mesmera.htm.

Rouse, Tyler. “The brief and strange history of mesmerism and surgery.” Hektoen International Journal, Winter 2019, https://hekint.org/2018/12/24/the-brief-and-strange-history-of-mesmerism-and-surgery/.

“The rise and fall of a medical mesmerist.” Wellcome Collection, April 23, 2018, https://wellcomecollection.org/articles/WsT4Ex8AAHruGfXv.

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

I briefly discuss the social conditions out of which penny dreadfuls developed in the 19th century, describe some prominent features of the form, and explain how they were received by readers and critics.

Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 I’d also really appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Sources:

Anderson, Hephzibah. "The shocking tale of the penny dreadful." BBC, May 2, 2016, https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20160502-the-shocking-tale-of-the-penny-dreadful. Flanders, Judith. "Penny dreadfuls." The British Library, May 15 2014, https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/penny-dreadfuls. Hamers, Violet. "Penny Dreadfuls of the Victorian Era." Cobalt Fairy, March 18, 2020, https://cobaltfairy.com/penny-dreadfuls-victorian-era/. "Penny dreadful." Wikipedia, August 2, 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_dreadful. "That Poor Penny Dreadful!" Punch, or the London Charivari (Vol. 109), September 7, 1895, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/44976/44976-h/44976-h.htm. Walton, Geri. "Penny Bloods and the Penny Dreadfuls." Geri Walton, May 15, 2015, https://www.geriwalton.com/penny-bloods-and-penny-dreadfuls/.

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

View Details

What do you think of when you hear the term “Victorian”? If you think “repressive,” “prudish,“ or “uptight,” do I have the podcast for you!

My name is Marisa, host of the Victorian Variety Show, coming to Anchor in August. Each episode, I will discuss a lesser-known aspect of life in the Victorian Age (1837 - 1901). I will cover art and literature, food and social customs, science and medicine, and even death practices! You will learn something about the Victorians that will surprise you...and perhaps inspire you to rethink how you view this unique period!

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/message

The Victorian Variety Show: Recent Episodes

marisa d