Photography
-
The Importance of Cards During the Victorian Era Collection #10
Today we follow the evolution of the previous four collections of Victorian cards. As we have seen before, these cards have images on both sides. In this particular instance, we have shown the rear first and then the front image. Most are almost mirror images of each other. We know for certain that these are…
-
Skink Magazine: The Victorian BDSM Catalogue Collection #4
These photographs were taken last year by a private collector of Victorian ‘love maids’. We are thankful to them for allowing us to archive the images here. These dolls were referenced in the classified section of Skink. They asked people to write to the Southern Exchange (abbreviated to SEX) for more information. It is a…
-
A Day Out at Louse Park of Lancaster Collection #2
Maxwell Bailey was a professional photographer specialising in artistic portraits. Every Sunday he would visit Louse Park which was part of Lord Arthur Allen’s estate; an important figure in 19th century zoology. The park was themed to Lord Allen’s specialist area which was, surprise surprise, insects (although it should be noted that Lord Allen never…
-
A Day Out at Louse Park of Lancaster Collection #1
Today we begin to archive photographs taken at Louse Park of Lancaster. The park has long disappeared in its original form of celebrating the insect. However, during the late 19th century it was a hot spot for ladies to visit; particularly on a Sunday when it was guaranteed that the photographer Maxwell Bailey would be…
-
Skink Magazine; The Victorian BDSM Catalogue Collection #3
Today we archive more of the photography found in the only Victorian kink magazine we are aware of. This time we wanted to show another theme running through the pages. We would like to say that this is where the Spiderman franchise got its superhero costume ideas from, but that would potentially land us in…
-
Post-mortem Photography (All That Remains) Collection #2
You may remember that when we archived the first collection of post-mortem photography, we promised one more collection centred around widows and their late lovers. A few weeks ago somebody (who wishes to remain anonymous) contacted us with the above images and supporting evidence of their authenticity. It was sometimes the case that the grieving…
-
Trophy Hunting Ancient Insects Collection
Eight miles south of the Outer Hebrides, one will find the Isle of Insectum. It once had the largest population of all the islands in the British Isles. It was also a source of mystery and speculation among academics. As we can see from photographs #1 and #2, there was a stone circle on the…
-
Skink Magazine; The Victorian BDSM Catalogue Collection #1
When we think about the Victorians, we tend to focus on the stuffy and inflexible norms we find among polite society. No foul language, no bad manners and certainly no kink. But dig only a few inches deeper and we find that this was only part of the story. Although often well hidden, there were…
-
Asylum Artwork by Malachi Alexander Collection #1
Photograph #10 We don’t know much about Malachi Alexander except for what’s in the public records which isn’t very much. He was forced into the Horsehay Lunatic Asylum in Warwickshire as a danger to all. He was 22 years old and tragically committed suicide not long after a failed escape attempt a couple of months…
-
The Fat Wives’ Club
Historical attitudes towards portly people, particularly women, have ebbed and flowed over millennia. To a lesser degree, leaner people have also been a subject of derision. It’s almost impossible to find examples of societies where attitudes had made peace with weight diversity– including ours. During the latter half of the Victorian era, a school of…
Welcome to the Victorian Underground Project 