victorian era
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Victorian Hoax Photography Collection #1 (Yeti Edition)
Hoax photography was once a lucrative industry. Most of us are familiar with the ‘fairies at the bottom of the garden’ photographs. To a modern audience they look ridiculous, but to many Victorians they were evidence of paranormal activity. So today we bring to you some hoax photography of the mythical yeti and take a…
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The Victorian Slop House Collection #2
Today we visit another slop house of yore called the Besel Blit. This establishment was a traditional slop house with all the trimmings. The menu had one course and two options: wet slop (photograph #3) or dry slop (photograph #4). People would often flip a coin with friends. Heads a friend would have to pay…
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Chinatown in Victorian England Collection #1
England has traded with many countries over the years, both near and far. One of the most iconic is perhaps China which has set up shop in many parts of England using the ports to bring quality goods and produce. The photographs in this collection were taken in Liverpool’s Chinatown around the 1890s. While they…
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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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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 #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 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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Victorian Parents Using Their Children for Pranks Collection #1
As the weekend lands, we decided to share some sinister family photographs of Victorian children which made their way into our archives many years ago. The collector who kindly donated them told us that the photographs were taken around the Black Country circa the 1880s. We have managed to clean them up, but the various…
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The Brighton Tattoo Club 1889 Collection #1
Even today, heavily tattooed people are commonly seen as hooligans and violent offenders. While this might be the case for some people, it isn’t true for the overwhelming majority of folks who simply appreciate the craft. Our research suggests that the people in the above images had no criminal history and, in fact, led relatively…
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