Parliament
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The Anarchist Stamp Saboteurs Collection #1
During the Victorian era, patriotism was held in high esteem among polite society. Disrespecting the crown or country could be met with a swift execution. Yet as we have noted elsewhere, the Victorians were exposed to new ideas that challenged the perceived wisdom of the powers that be. During the nineteenth century, a group of…
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The Rebel Artists Collection #4
As previously mentioned, Europe became a very different place after the Enlightenment. The second half of the 18th century saw many philosophers and thinkers upturn conventional wisdom and begin to think outside the box. Although we can trace the roots of anarchist thought back a couple thousand years, there was an unwavering interest in transitioning…
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Victorian Hoax Photography Collection #5 (Flying Monsters Edition Part #2)
Here is a journal account written by a landlord living in London: “The giant ghouls and monsters hung in the sky, staring down at us as if we were prey. Is this how the apocalypse begins and ends? I have seen people all over London down on their knees, reaching to the heavens and praying…
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The Grizzly Bear Boxing Club Collection
This is a one-off collection of images centred around The Grizzly Bear Boxing Club which operated in Haggerston, London during the latter years of the 19th century. The members who were courageous enough trained solely to fight a grizzly bear. This was often a life or death event, and in the club’s history only 8…
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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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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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