birds
-
The Bromley Society of Animal Lovers Collection #1
We have already shared images of the Victorians’ insatiable obsession with animals. However, none were so passionate as The Bromley Society of Animal Lovers. The society was founded in 1868 by the naruralist Kenneth Crabtree and survived until World War One. These images are only a handful of the ones we have in our archives.…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
Welcome to the Victorian Underground Project 