Welcome to the Victorian Underground Project

You may have noticed that compared to the other asylum artworks, Mr Trout’s are fairly clean. There are no desperate scratches or manic scribbles; the subjects are at least fathomable in a literal sense. We believe that this is because Mr Trout had a background in illustration. It is possible that after the trauma he endured, this was the only attribute of his former self that survived.

That said, they are still as nightmarish as the artworks created by Noah Tar and Malachi Alexander which we have begun to archive.

One of our specialists in Victorian art has studied many of these images extensively. Having also studied his medical records, she believes that along with a brain injury, Mr Trout also suffered from trauma, psychosis and an indescribably painful grieving process.

Furthermore our specialist believes that many of the paintings are about vengeance towards the men who murdered his wife. Because of his physical, mental and emotional decline, Mr Trout’s only means of processing those terrible events was through his canvas.

We will consider some interpretations of these paintings in due course.

Many thanks,

TVUP