Upworthy's book GOOD PEOPLE, now available - take a look!

Shop
 Explore 

victorian era

Education

Listen to famous Victorians having a ball recording their voices for the very first time

Getting drunk and speaking into a phonograph used to be prime entertainment.

AI generated image/Photo credit: Canva, Levin C. Handy/Wikipedia

It's so cool to listen to them ponder a future that would become our present.

The latter part of the Victorian era brought us the invention of photography, and along with it a more realistic—though not completely accurate—glimpse into what life of the time period looked like. And yet, the same can’t be said for what 19th century folks sounded like.

While technically the first recording of a human voice did happen in 1860 (very early on in the Victorian era), it wouldn’t be until the 1880s, when Thomas Edison perfected the technology with his new-and-improved wax cylinder phonograph, that voice recording would become more of a commonplace concept.

In a video created by Kings and Things, we are thrust back in time to when this device made its debut, and subsequently captured the voice of many Victorian era icons. During an evening soirée held in London, George Gouraud, an American employee of Edison, decided to delight his guests by inviting them to record their own personalized message to Edison.

This novel form of entertainment would always start the same way—Gouraud would first toast the guest before prompting them to speak. Needless to say, things would quite quickly turn into drunken fun.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

But there was also a bit of unintentional foreshadowing that came about. Composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, for example, all but predicted the kind of impact this technology would have on music.

"For myself I can only say that I am astonished and somewhat terrified at the results of this evening's experiments: astonished at the wonderful power you have developed, and terrified at the thought that so much hideous and bad music may be put on record forever,” he said.

Gouraud would hold many demonstrations of the phonograph, both at his home in London and at other social events with elite guests, hoping to record the “voices of the great of all nations, to include alike someday the voices of the living and the dead” so that they might be available for future generations.

Getting that kind of extensive archive, however, wasn’t always easy. Even today, many of us get choked up at the thought of talking on the telephone. The nerves were understandably similar, if not worse, for Victorians not only interacting with a daunting device for the first time, but also the concept of their voice being immortalized.

“It is curious to see how the most distinguished speakers behave when they find themselves in front of the photograph and speak into it,” Gouraud noted. Even the famously confident stage actor Sir Henry Irving apparently became "frightened out of his own voice.”

Eventually other “recordists” were brought on to replicate Gouraud’s work of demonstrating the phonograph. And one of them recorded one of the most well known and influential Victorians of them all, the founder of modern nursing herself—Florence Nightingale.

Here’s what the Lady with the Lamp had to say:

“When I am no longer even a memory, just a name, I hope my voice may perpetuate the great work of my life.”

Other notable recordings include politician William Gladstone and Queen Victoria herself—though her recording was replayed to the point of damaging the quality, and it’s hard to accurately detect whose voice it might belong to. It would be much, much later that any of the recordings could be replayed without any degradation.

This entire video is a great reminder that while we might not ever be able to truly time travel (although here’s hoping!) , that doesn't mean we won’t continue finding new ways to experience the past. It’s also interesting to think what folks a hundred years from now will think of the many, many questionable recordings of ourselves that will live on forever via the internet.

Check out more of Kings and Things' content here.

From Your Site Articles

cool history

Education

Unearthed BBC interview features two Victorian-era women discussing being teens in the 1800s

Frances 'Effy' Jones, one of the first women to be trained to use a typewriter and to take up cycling as a hobby, recalls life as a young working woman in London.

Canva

Two Victorian women discuss being teens in the 1800s.

There remains some mystery around what life was like in the 1800s, especially for teens. Most people alive today were not around in the Victorian era when the technologies now deemed old-fashioned were a novelty. In this rediscovered 1970s clip from the BBC, two elderly women reminisce about what it was like being teenagers during a time when the horse and buggy was still the fastest way to get around.

While cars were just around the corner from being the common mode of transportation toward the end of the 19th century, it's pretty wild to imagine what these women experienced. Frances "Effy" Jones explained how, at age 17, she was encouraged by her brother to check out this new machine in a storefront window. Turns out that machine was a typewriter and, after being trained on how to use it, Jones would sit in the store window typing while people outside gathered to watch. Before long, classes began popping up for women to learn how to use a typewriter, starting a new movement for women of that era.

The second woman, Berta Ruck, told the BBC that she would get into a bit of trouble at boarding school for drawing instead of completing school work. This talent took Ruck to art school in London where she rode buses around town, attempting to avoid mud getting on her long skirt. But the woman explained that it never worked and she would spend hours brushing the mud from her skirt before wearing it out again. I'm sure you're thinking, buses? They weren't the buses we would see nowadays. These were double-decker horse-pulled carriages.

I know, that's hard to imagine. That's why you should check out the video below:

This article originally appeared on 08.29.22

From Your Site Articles

video

Pop Culture

What Hollywood gets wrong about corsets, and how the Victorians actually got a tiny waist

Bernadette Banner, a content creator focused of fashion history, breaks down how Victorians were "masters of illusion."

Bernadette Banner/Youtube

You'll never look at a corset with disdain again.

Usually when we think of corsets, the words suffocation, fainting and shifting organs probably come to mind.

This is certainly what Bernadette Banner has come across in the comments section of her Youtube channel, where she shares all kinds of fashion history education. The general consensus is that Victorian women were either all incredibly tiny or that they went to extremely dangerous lengths to achieve the highly exaggerated signature silhouette of the era, which was to have the bust 10 inches larger than the waist, with the hips 15 inches larger. 34-26-36, for example.

This notion is certainly backed by Hollywood, where we normally see women of that time period being laced up so tightly they can barely breathe, suffering under the crushing weight of whalebone and the patriarchy.

As Banner breaks down in her video below, this is not entirely true. In reality, Victorian women deployed numerous different strategies that are nothing at all like we see in movies. One tactic is, dare I say, shockingly modern.

Tactic #1 Reduction

Okay, so first things first—some women did reduce their waist size through corset use alone. However, Banner notes that this really only worked for those who had a larger, softer, body type. By comparison, people with more athletic or thin body types wouldn’t be able to get much reduction in their waistline, and certainly not without effort, pain and discomfort.

“This is something that Hollywood very often misinterprets when it’s presenting historical periods,” Banner says, saying that normally a very thin actress is cast and then corseted down.

Having a naturally thin person in the role isn’t a problem, she adds, as “every body type existed all throughout history.” The real issue is that costume designers try to further reduce their waists with an uncomfortable corset to achieve an hourglass look, rather than augmenting the hips and the bust.

Which brings us to…

Tactic #2 Augmentation

Why cinch when you can stuff, amirite? This strategy is fairly straightforward

Banner demonstrates this by augmenting her own slim silhouette as she puts on a corset pre-padded at the hips and bust (though padding over the corset was also done…fashion is eternally nuanced). Since the corset is actually very flexible, she can also breathe and move easily.

From here, women would add in frills, fluffs, bustle and petticoats of varying sizes to get the desired ratio.

Tactic #3 Illusion

We’ve discussed clever placements of what goes on under the dress. But Banner explains that Victorians would also create an illusion of an hourglass with their outer garments as well. It’s not coincidence that this time period is when we had the “largest skirts in history,” Banner says. But it’s not just fluffy skirts—there were also puffy sleeves, elongated shoulder lines or shoulder padding, and special jackets, coats and belts to “trick the eye into seeing a very specific shape.”

Banner again demonstrates this scheme as she puts on her skirt with a tight waistband and wide, flat sash. Though with all the layering her waist is about an inch larger than it was before, it nonetheless looks smaller. The contrast is evident when she throws on the blouse and skirts sans the “sculptural understructures.”

Tactic #4 Image Manipulation

That’s right. You thought Photoshop was a new concept? Guess Again!

The ability to manipulate an image has been around almost as long as photography itself, and was “profuse in the late 19th century,” Banner says. Everything from waist shape to facial features to even skin texture could be altered.

Basically, just as you would never trust a too-perfect picture you see on social media, Banner warns you to similarly “never trust a picture of a Victorian. Especially when the waist looks absolutely impossibly tiny.”

And now the real question: Why do we think all Victorian women were tiny?

Banner answers that too. A major reason is the number of tiny garments that have survived from the time period. However, these pieces probably were only worn by young girls for a shorter amount of time, therefore endured less wear and tear.

In conclusion, Victorians were not ubiquitously impossibly small. They were simply masters of illusion, who created a mirage so convincing we still believe it today.

Heightened beauty standards still exist today—the rising popularity of cosmetic procedures is a clear indicator of that. While this might not inherently be a good or bad thing, more and more women are risking their health (not to mention their finances) in order to achieve that which is physically impossible. Banner argues that folks in the 21st century can perhaps take a lesson or two from Victorian women when it comes to achieving seemingly impossible aesthetic ideals without causing oneself harm.

As she astutely put it, “History teaches us that there are other options.”

You can find even more of Banner’s fascinating fashion history videos on Youtube.

From Your Site Articles

history

Lawyers' Committee

Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights

They're here: photos released of 8 female activists that history almost forgot.

If you picture the Victorian era in America, what do you see? Probably the Wild West, or maybe some dude in a top hat.

But the late-1800s were also a hotbed of activism and civil rights struggles, especially among women and African-Americans. History books tend to name a select few, like Sojourner Truth or Booker T. Washington.

But the truth is, we forget that real change is only possible thanks to the labor of countless individuals.

We’re now getting another chance to peer into the past thanks to the Library of Congress.

In 2013, the Library of Congress got a hold of the photograph collection of William Henry Richards, a prominent African-American leader who taught at Howard University from 1890 to 1928.

In the collection, they found portraits of the young, badass female African-American activists whom Richards worked alongside.

1. People like Maria Baldwin

Photo by Elmer Chickering. Image via the Library of Congress.

Baldwin was a teacher and civics leader. In 1889, she became principal of the Agassiz Grammar School, turning it into one of the best schools in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

2. Hallie Quinn Brown

Photo by F. S. Biddle. Image via the Library of Congress.

A dean, professor, and lecturer, Brown founded civics organizations, spoke at national political conventions, and represented the United States at the 1899 International Congress of Women.

3. Anna J. Cooper

Photo by Falor & Smedley. Image via the Library of Congress.

Another notable educator, Cooper wrote "A Voice from the South by a Black Woman of the South," which called for equal education and the advancement of other opportunities for black women.

4. Lillian Parker Thomas

Photo by Giers & Koellein. Image via the Library of Congress.

Thomas, a journalist, was a local and correspondent editor for the New York Freeman, and she is believed to have been the first black woman to be a professional theater critic.

5. Clarissa M. Thompson

Image via the Library of Congress.

Thompson was a poet, novelist, educator, and an advocate for the Woman's Christian Temperance Union.

6. Laura A. Moore Westbrook

Image via the Library of Congress.

A passionate educator, in 1880, Westbrook moved to Victoria, Texas, where she took over as the Victoria city school principal.

7. Fannie Barrier Williams

Photo by Paul Tralles. Image via the Library of Congress.

A teacher, political activist, and women's rights advocate, Williams helped found the NAACP.

8. Josephine Silone Yates

Photo by The New Photographic Art Company. Image via the Library of Congress.

Yates was a poet, writer, columnist, teacher, and activist. She helped organize the Women's League of Kansas City and became its first president.

It's thanks to these labors of these women, and countless others like them, that we're able to be where we are today.

These women lived in a time where opportunities were hard fought for African-Americans — even more so for African-American women. These haunting, fascinating photos help remind us of who these women were and how much we owe to activists like them.

The Library of Congress hopes these photos will inspire more people to learn about the people who put together America's past.

From Your Site Articles

BBC interview of two Victorian women discussing teen years - Upworthy ›

7 more photos of black Victorians who prove that history is not as white as people think.

Back in late October, I wrote a story about 17 photos of black Victorians who showed how history really looked.

I scoured various online archives, historical records, and so forth to dig up what I could about the subjects of these stunning photographs, which I hoped would challenge people's historical perceptions of race, fashion, and social norms.

The reader response was tremendous.

Hundreds of thousands of people read and shared the story. People love to warn you not to read the comments (and sometimes rightly so), but in this case, the comments were downright inspiring.

The most remarkable comments came from readers who shared photos and stories of their own relatives who lived through that same era.

Today, I'd like to introduce you to some of those folks.

Photo via Ruth Cadenhead, used with permission.

1. Isabelle Norris's great-grandparents emigrated from Africa to the United States by way of Haiti.

Her great-grandmother came from Guinea while her great-grandfather was Egyptian. They encountered many obstacles on their journey, but they made it after all. To this day, their descendants maintain strong familial roots across the U.S., the Caribbean, and Europe.

Photo via Isabella Norris, used with permission.

"I hesitated before posting [this photo], and I was pleased to see that there were only positive responses," Norris said, "I find the idea of sharing part of our history interesting in that it could maybe help solve some of the mystery surrounding it and others involved in it, who knows?"

2. Rev. Cicero Chambers was born a slave in Texas and worked tirelessly to free himself and his wife, Jerlene.

According to his great-great-granddaughter Kim Guillaume, Chambers served for 22 years as moderator of the Cypress Baptist Association and helped to found several Baptist churches across eastern Texas as well as the historically black Bishop College, originally located in Marshall, Texas.

Photo via Kimberly Guillaume, used with permission.

3. Andria Thomas has researched her family all the way back to 1825, including her great-great grandmother, Linny Ellis Roberts.

Roberts was born in Colorado in the late 1800s and attended the historically black Oakwood College in Alabama. In fact, her descendants still have copies of all her notes from school. Her father owned a farm in New Mexico, and Roberts herself later owned and operated a grocery store along with her husband, Fred Douglas Roberts.

Photo via Andria Thomas, used with permission.

"Most of this ancestral line I have researched lived in the deep South, specifically Tennessee and Georgia," Thomas added about her family history. "In the census, they were recorded as either mulatto or black, but they almost always owned their property free and clear. Their neighbors were also mostly white. Not only that, but they were all literate, even though some of them were born before slavery ended."

Thomas also admitted that it was hard to know the exact context of her ancestors' lives. Still, the records she found were further evidence of the other untold stories of black lives throughout U.S. history.

4. Angela Brazil's family research led to the discovery of her oldest living relative, her great-great-grandmother Elizabeth Curry.

Brazil's journey into her ancestry took her on an actual trip from St. Louis, Missouri, to Cleveland, Ohio, where she had the opportunity to meet members of her family that she didn't even know existed until then.

In the photo, Curry's hair is wrapped in an updo, but according to family lore, Brazil's great-great-grandmother's beautiful locks fell all the way down to the floor.

Photo via Angela Brazil, used with permission.

5. Amy Noel Longmire shared a photo of her great-great grandma, Louise Burroughs Grandison of West Virginia, born in 1860.

According to family lore, Great-Great Grandma Grandison was an excellent seamstress, and the outfit she's wearing in the photograph was made entirely by her own hands. Her second-born son, Dr. Joseph Meredith Grandison, was one of the first black doctors in the state of West Virginia.

Photo via Amy Noel Longmire, used with permission.

"I wonder how perceptions inside and outside our culture would have changed if the narrative was more robust (and accurate) than poverty, slavery, and civil rights?" Longmire said about her dive into her family history. "We owned businesses, held advanced degrees, and succeeded in the face of real tyranny. Ours is a story of more than survival, but one of success. To see these stories ignored is frustrating."

Remarkably, after sharing the photo on Facebook, Longmire ended up connecting with another commenter who was also a Grandison from West Virginia, and the two are now trying to figure out if they're related.

6. Booker T. Brooks was born in Jackson County, Tennessee, in 1864.

His great-great-great-granddaughter Sarah Mason shared that he married a woman named Daisy Chappin and passed away in the same county around the turn of the century. There was little else known about him — but he sure knew how to dress.

Photo via Sarah Mason, used with permission.

Why did these photos resonate with all of us so much? Because the truth has been erased from history for far too long, and these people deserve to be a part of the narrative.

As one commenter so perfectly put it, "I'm standing in the Union Square subway station in NYC bawling my eyes out. This world has tried so hard to erase us from existence — hide our accomplishments, sweep our ancestors into closets, pretend we've only been slaves and maids. Those people lived life! I'm living life!"

That's the power of seeing yourself reflected in stories, in history, and in the world around you. What else is there to say?

17 stunning photos of black Victorians show how history really looked.

When you think about America's Gilded Age, what do you imagine?

Perhaps you see images of "Little House on the Prairie"? Or photos of dapper gentlemen and women dressed in frilly lace, riding steam engine trains across the country?

Most of us equate the fashion and social norms of that time period with the latter Victorian era that occurred in the U.K. around the same time. And that's not in-accurate, per se ... except for the part where we tend to assume that everyone was white.

Yes, Jim Crow laws were in effect. But there were still plenty of black Americans rockin' those cravats and wide-brimmed hats, too. You just don't see them in most history books.

So I dug up 17 of my favorite historical photos of black people in Gilded Age fashions. Believe it or not, they were easily accessible through public archives — which means they've been there all along, waiting to show us what history really looked like.

1. Meet Corporal Isaiah Mays.

Born into slavery in Virginia, Mays enlisted in the military as a free man and received a Medal of Honor for his actions in the Wham paymaster robbery of 1889.

Image via Daniel Murray Collection/Library of Congress.

2. Or take a moment to admire parasol-wielding Nellie Franklin.

Not much is known about this dapper debutante other than that she was near Tallahassee, Florida, when this photo was taken between 1885 and 1910.

Image via Alvan S. Harper Collection/State Archives of Florida.

3. Eartha Mary Magdalene White was a humanitarian and philanthropist.

A lifelong resident of Jacksonville, Florida, White amassed her fortunes through serial entrepreneurship in real estate, laundry, dry goods, taxis, and more. Along with her adopted mother, Clara (also pictured), she provided for the hungry and homeless and also built the first public school for black students in nearby Bayard, Florida.

Image via State Archives of Florida.

4. The Honorable Reverend Hiram R. Revels was the first black person to serve in the U.S. Senate.

He only served for about a year for the state of Mississippi from 1870 to 1871 before being appointed as the first president of Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Alcorn State University).

Image via Brady-Handy Photograph Collection/Library of Congress.

5. Whoever they are, this man and his son were fine examples of the fashions of the times.

Not much is known about the subjects of this photograph other than that it was taken in Connecticut at some point during the 1860s.

Image via Bundy and Williams/Gladstone Collection of African-American Photographs/Library of Congress.

6. And then there's this little girl, who is clearly not pleased that her parents made her wear such period-appropriate dress.

Hey, we've all been there. This photo was taken sometime between 1890 and 1900, and was part of W.E.B. DuBois's collection, which was featured at the 1900 World Expo in Paris.

Image via Thomas E. Askew/Daniel Murray Collection/Library of Congress.

7. The Florida A&M graduating class of 1904 looks ready for their yearbook photo.

At the time, the historically black college was known as the Florida State Normal and Industrial School for Colored Students.

Image via State Archives of Florida.

8. And these women were shading themselves from the hot Georgia sun while showing off their Sunday best, too.

Not much is known about the subjects here either other than that the photo was taken around 1899.

Image via Daniel Murray Collection/Library of Congress.

9. People didn't only dress up for special occasions, though. Here's a family lounging for a portrait on a lawn in Georgia around the turn of the century.

Image via Daniel Murray Collection/Library of Congress.

10. Photography was getting pretty common and accessible by the 1890s. But people still liked to look good.

Image via Daniel Murray Collection/Library of Congress.

11. When it comes to this woman's dress, I'm a fan.

This photo was taken in or around Tallahassee, Florida, sometime between 1885 and 1910. Note the fancy feather fan in her hand — it probably came in handy in that humid heat.

Image via Alvan S. Harper Collection/State Archives of Florida.

12. And look at this guy's sweet satin coat!

Image via Alvan S. Harper Collection/State Archives of Florida.

13. Here's a woman rockin' a velvet-print bodice.

Image via Alvan S. Harper Collection/State Archives of Florida.

14. Then of course there's Marie Selika Williams.

She was a star soprano singer and the first black artist to perform at the White House in 1878.

Image via Maud Cuney-Hare/The Associated Publishers/Wikimedia Commons.

15. The Honorable Blanche Kelso Bruce of Mississippi was the first black American to serve a full term in the U.S. Senate from 1875-1881.

Like Revels, he was a Republican from Mississippi. He later served as the register of the treasury under Presidents James Garfield and William McKinley.

Image via Brady-Handy Photograph Collection/Library of Congress.

16. And who could forget Small?

Little is known about this man beyond his name and the fact he was walking around Philadelphia at some point in the late 1850s, showing off these fine threads.

Image via B.F. Reimer/Marian S. Carson Collection/Library of Congress.

17. Last but certainly not least, let's not forget the black fashions of the Victorian era that were occurring across the pond.

Sarah Forbes Bonetta, right, was an orphaned Yoruban princess who was raised as a goddaughter to Queen Victoria. She eventually married Capt. James Pinson Labulo Davies (left), a wealthy Nigerian businessman, philanthropist, and merchant marine.

Image via Camille Silvey/National Portrait Gallery, London.

As fun as it is to look back at the fashions of yesteryear, it's also a good reminder that actual history isn't as white as we make it out to be.

Cultures and skin colors have all been intermingling since at least the days of ancient Rome. That's why it's so important to point out these not-actually-fluke fashions: because race might not be "real," but racism through erasure definitely is.

All too often, the movies and media and books that retell the stories of our past err on the side of all-white casting unless it's something that's explicitly about race. And all too often, they use "historical accuracy" as an excuse for that same whitewashing — regardless of the easy-to-find evidence presented above.

They say that "history is written by the winners." But I think it might be time to set the record straight.

From Your Site Articles