The Victorian Woman's Secret
Queen Victoria's reign
(1837–1901)
Lady Victoria's Secret
Every woman who wants to get a form-fitting dress, goes to Victoria's Secret and looks for the right pads. During the Victorian era, American women bought breast pads.
Lady Victoria's Secret.
Secret filling
Victorian Lady Secret No. 1. Yes, most of us think of corsets as a must-have for Victorian (and Edwardian) dresses. Some dresses have a "natural fit" and are meant to be worn "standing up" (without a corset). Did you know that padding was used to emphasize the "hourglass" figure and draw the eye to small waists?
Queen Victoria's Secret
Jangi is also known as Panty, Knicker, Under Garment. Who first drew a Jangi? That is Queen Victoria of Great Britain. Several of her junkies were recently found in a Buckingham Palace closet and auctioned for tens of thousands of pounds.
At the age of 18, her waist was 20 inches. But after having nine children, her waist was 56 inches. She led a great army. More than half of the world's countries were ruled under her command.
Queen Victoria popularized the jungi dress among women. By the time of her death, many women in the world were used to wearing jungis.
The British crown was held for the longest time by Queen Victoria, and the cultural, political, economic, industrial and scientific changes that took place during her reign were remarkable. At the time of Victoria's accession to the crown, Britain was primarily agrarian and rural. (Although it later became the world's most industrialized country* After her death, the country became highly industrialized and connected to a network of railways. During the first few decades of Queen Victoria's reign, there were a number of epidemics, such as typhoid, cholera, , crop failures and economic collapses.There were also many revolts during the Napoleonic Wars calling for changes to the Corn Laws enacted to protect British agriculture.
The discoveries made by Charles Lyell and Charles Darwin re-opened centuries of ideas about humanity, the world, science, history, religion and philosophy. And with the opening of the country to the railway network, small communities became towns, and their access to the entire economic system increased.
Significant social changes can also be seen during the mid-Victorian period. Along with a series of legal reforms on women's rights came an evangelical revival. During the Victorian era, women did not have the right to vote, but under the Married Women's Property Act they had the right to own property, the right to divorce, and the right to custody of children in the event of a separation.
During that era, Britain was engaged in war and the Premius War was also going on. But in the long run, peace and economic, colonial and industrial development were established. By the end of the century, conflicts arose due to neo-colonial policies. Eventually the Anglo-Zanzibar War and the Boer War broke out. Internally, gradual liberal political reforms were introduced, aimed at enfranchisement.
During the early phase of this era, the House of Commons consisted of two parties, 'Whig' and 'Tory'. From 1850, the Whigs became liberal and the Tories became conservative. The main leaders were Lord Melbourne, Sir Robert Peel, Lord Derby, Lord Palmerston, William Glatstone, Benjamin Disraeli and Lord Salisbury. By the end of the Victorian era, issues of governance in Ireland were emerging, and Gladstone's proposals for a political settlement were prominent.
Among the photos...
Bust pads and ruffled hip pads from the 1897 Sears catalog,
Two posts ago, when covering Victorian hair extensions (hairpieces, among other accessories), I shared an image of a warning published in 1873 (and circulated in several editions of Marriage News) in which Judge John H. If the 'stupid' groom wishes to declare the marriage null and void by mail order. Here it is again:
This warning appeared as an insert in several editions of Matrimonial News in the 1870s, and it was written by Judge John H. Arbuckle's (1873) notice. This image is readily available (without citation) on the Internet and on various websites, and this image (and caption) is said to come from at least one Mail Order Bride non-fiction title by Chris Enns. I believe
Nothing is new
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If women were guilty of padding some parts of the American Victorian era and minimizing others, they did nothing that both before and after them had not done. (Who says corsets are completely out of style?)
English lords - physically inactive like most - often wore silk to narrow the middle, patting the shoulders and arms and thighs and cutting a delicate shape in their expensive suits. So did the ladies. A certain weight (hips, buttocks and breasts and arms) was not only considered a sign of wealth (Dhanavata
