midjourney
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A Murder of Scarecrows Collection #1
Between 1869 and 1875 there was such a profession as a human scarecrow. Because the bird population had temporarily increased owed to industrial displacement, farmers and other landowners experimented with tougher security measures. The idea was to employ poor people to march around their land wearing terrifying costumes, hoping this would deter what one farmer…
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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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Victorian Fancy Dress Collection #1
With the coronation weekend upon us, we thought it was the perfect time to look at some Victorian fancy dress costumes. These images were taken on Halloween night in 1877. No background stories today. Have a pompous weekend everyone. TVUP
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The Siblings of Saint Rupert Collection #2
A few people have contacted us since we published our first Siblings collection, asking us for more images of this obscure secret society/ cult. We are only too happy to oblige. The Siblings are a fascinating Victorian subject and we just and so happen to have reams of photographs at our disposal. Today we are…
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Victorian Arthouse Cinema Stills Collection #1
Today we present some fascinating stills from an early example of arthouse cinema. The movie is called Witch House and was released in the underground theatre and cinema network in 1899. Photograph #9 is of the visionary director and producer Conrad Pitt who inspired a huge shift towards avant-garde narratives and techniques. The Victorian movies…
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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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The Siblings of Saint Rupert Collection #1
On this day, precisely 150 years ago, a secret society known as The Siblings of Saint Rupert held its first ritual. Precious nothing was known about the siblings until an anonymous collector sent us these images which were rigorously analysed and verified by numerous experts. You will notice that on each of the photographs there’s…
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The ‘Birds’ of Victorian England Collection #1
At the Fellowship of the Victorian Underground Project, we have looked at various subcultures and are set to explore many more in the coming months. This particular subculture we share with you today is one of the most interesting and beautiful in our archives, yet is largely absent from the history books. The women in…
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