What do Frankenstein and many vivid early nineteenth-century artworks, including paintings by J.M.W. Turner, have in common? Supposedly, that would be the 1815 eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Tambora and its climactic repercussions.
According to the accompanying caption, this is a “cartoon showing a hot summer in the city resulting in everyone taking to the roofs for some breeze.” Novel idea: maybe skip the frock coat in a heat wave? But no, no, Victorian proprieties must be observed.
Long before glossies and style bloggers there were fashion plates, which the rich woman of yore would take to her modiste (and the less-rich woman would try recreating at home). But have you ever noticed how the women in these illustrations of whatever was “in” for the season always look like they’re discussing…
In the annals of Victorian medical history, few foes receive as much bile as the corset, which physicians claimed contributed to miscarriages, cancer, and slow, crushing deaths. But while there are some health problems that can be linked to corsets, they aren't nearly the instruments of medical terror that they're…
For those times when you're flung unexpectedly back in time—or if you just don't want to change clothes between work and your favorite holonovel—cosplayer Genovefa has dreamed up these Starfleet-themed dresses with long skirts and a bit of Victorian-inspired corsetry.
That synthetic g-string you're rocking all up in your business needs to be trashed and/or burned, because pantalettes are back with a vengeance. Well, according to one woman, but that's a TREND! The Victorian woman's underwear of choice (or maybe just their underwear, period) is apparently very comfortable, very…
The woman who posed on the cover of Time totally stole her breastfeeding act from Victorian moms. Respect. (Although I'm firmly of the opinion that the kid in the photo on the left is actually that woman's husband.) (Or a time traveling Dom DeLuise.) (RIP.)
Seeing as the month of Halloween officially started two months ago at Spirit stores nationwide, we thought we'd show you something extremely creepy. Compiled by The Museum of Ridiculously Interesting Things, behold these 19th century photographs of carefully (?) hidden moms holding their children. Daguerreotype…
The corset has a bad reputation. And unfairly so, according to Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, who says this undergarment of centuries past is not nearly as evil or confining as modern folks have come to believe.
