Life in the Late Victorian AgeSociety in the time of Oscar Wilde
Mr. Ambrose
English 10
Victorian Life
• Victorian life was relatively structured.• Social classes were well-defined.
– Presumably all individuals accepted their station in life and were happy within their level of society.
– When an individual did move outside his/her class, he/she was generally shunned.
– Even if you earned money, you would not necessarily be accepted by upper social strata.
Victorian Society
• Victorian society was democratic, but featured many more restrictions than modern America.
• Lower classes actually had more freedom.– People perceived the lower class as merely
existing to serve higher classes.– Society frequently ignored them.
Young Men in the Victorian Age
• Young men in the upper classes received an education, but spent much of their life in leisure pursuits.
• First sons would inherit the family wealth, and had little to worry about.
• Second and subsequent sons could choose to go into the service (army) or to become a clergyman.– These were respectable positions, but lower on the
social scale.
Young Women in the Victorian Age
• They were encouraged to marry.• Sometimes had an inheritance, but rarely
controlled their own finances.• Ladies were permitted to enjoy pleasurable
pursuits: parties, balls (galas), horseback riding, croquet.
• They were allowed to go to the beach, but they would need to wear very conservative bathing suits…
Victorian Bathing Suits
Young Girls in the Victorian Age
• Young girls were taught to supervise a household.
• Daily routine included consulting with housekeeper and cook and planning meals.
• Free time activities:– Painting china, needlework, music, literature
Four O’Clock Tea Time
• A daily routine that became a tradition.• Everyone stopped all activities for tea time.
– Analogous to a siesta in Europe, South America, and Central America.
• Tea was usually poured from a silver or china tea pot.
• Sandwiches and sweets (biscuits, tarts) were served.
• An important social interruption.• Dinner was not usually served until 8:00 pm.
Tea Time in America
• Do you believe a tradition like this would have any place or advantage in contemporary America?
• Is tea time observed anywhere on this continent?
• Do Americans have a substitute for this custom?
Host your own Tea Time
• For extra credit, you can host your own tea time!
• Bring in a photo and a short description of your event.
• Good times!
Evening Entertainment
• In the evening, people during the Victorian era usually watched Family Guy on their televisions.
Evening Entertainment
• J/K• Evenings included a formal dinner (8 PM).• Families then might move into the Drawing
Room to enjoy musical entertainment, provided by younger girls in the family.
• Gentlemen might retire to play billiards.• On festive occasions, families might play games
or have dances at the country estate.
Homes in the Victorian Era
• Some members of the upper class kept an apartment “in town” (London)
• If they did not own there, they rented during the “season” so that the young girls could be presented to society and the young men could find brides.
• These apartments would be called “flats,” which is the English word for “floor.”
After the Victorian Era
• For the upper classes, this style of living continued until WWII.
• After WWII, social structures underwent great changes and the balance of power among nations shifted.
• Despite changes in home life and industry, the Victorian tradition of tea time can still be enjoyed in homes, hotels, and parks.
