artists
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Mr Baker the Blind Toymaker Collection #1
Mr Baker wasn’t blind but he was a toymaker technically speaking. He got the name because of his unique approach to designing and making toys. They were intended for children, but research suggests that no child ever played with them. Instead wealthier Victorians purchased them as ornaments which only came out on Halloween. Mr Baker…
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Asylum Artwork by Noah Tar Collection #2
Today we present to you more artwork by Noah Tar. We find them to be equally disturbing and beautiful. The complexity is alluring. I have personally stared at photograph #10 for hours, trying to work out the relationship between the circles and symbols. And then there’s those mysterious scribbles… I can’t help but think that…
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Asylum Artwork by Noah Tar Collection #1
Despite reforms in the first part of the 19th century, mental health treatment during the Victorian years could still be a gruelling experience depending on where a patient ended up. Like poverty, it was largely seen as a moral failing rather than a serious illness. Some treatment was nothing short of barbaric. Nobody knew this…
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The Importance of Cards During the Victorian Era Collection #3
Today we bring you another assortment of Victorian cards. These were submitted by the great grandson of a “white witch” called Godfrey Martin. Mr Martin told us that while they look like tarot cards, they are in fact ritual worship cards used by his grandmother and acquaintances. They were apparently used for taking control of…
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Beachside Collection #2
As the weather began to heat up here in little England and then disappeared in style, the Fellowship began to talk about the approaching summer. We then remembered that we have a vast archive of beachside images to share with you. Photograph #2, #4, #6, #8 and #10 are of a fascinating demographic of Victorians…
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The Rebel Artists Collection #3
The way we view Victorian England is often through a rose tinted lens of pomp and patriotism. While there’s a lot to enjoy through that lens, it’s also important that we look at the flip side of the era and give oxygen to the many Victorian rebels. To mark the King’s coronation we present to…
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The Strange World of Victorian Taxidermy Collection #1
Today we bring to you the first collection of Victorian taxidermy which was kindly photographed and sent to us by a collector. Taxidermy was accessible to anyone who could find an unwilling subject. Oftentimes poorer Victorians would hunt or steal animals and then turn them into strange objects. They would then be sold or kept…
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The Rebel Artists Collection #2
Today’s collection is one of the the most precious in our archives and demonstrates the importance of documenting the fringes of any society so that no life is forgotten. Stencilling as an act of rebellion goes back hundreds of years and we are glad that it had found its way into Victorian life. The images…
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The Rebel Artists Collection #1
At The Fellowship of the Victorian Underground, we try our best to remain politically impartial. However, at the same time our role is to shine a torch on the road less travelled. As the King’s Coronation approaches, we thought it was a good time to show some alternative artists who dared to ridicule power. In…
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The Deathly One Man Boat Race
Today we take a look at the peculiar, if not disastrous, One Man Boat Race of 1864. A total of 57 people set off from the beaches of Blackpool in tiny one man boats headed for New York. They were only allowed to take one umbrella, a useless map, a flask of tea, tobacco, one…
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