William Arthur Breakspeare - Blue Eyes
It would be easy, when looking at Victorian paintings, to imagine middle class women and artists models doing little but sitting around at odd angles. The number of women slowly falling of divans, beds and ancient marble impressions of Greece is astounding. Maybe a lack of exercise was responsible?
William Arthur Breakspeare - The Alluring Student
There again, when they are standing it is clear they are up to no good. Poor Victorian women, how they suffered! At least this one, unlike so many has not just thrown her dress on and almost missed, like all the rest. Though I suppose it would be crude to imply many Victorian art works were just porn in oils of course.
Henry Herbert La Thangue - A Sussex Orchard
It is also amazing how many country pictures appear. So many are like this, colourful, sun shining, horse happy, just two young people working away. The 12 year old boy, working 18 hours a day like his sister in this painting from the 1890s are headed for 50 or so years of such toil. The house the family of 10 share is only theirs as long as the farmer keeps them on. If dad is the farmer then they move to a better place as soon as possible. The mud floor of the small cottage, with outside toilet and well for water, has only two rooms and space in the attic for the kids. At this time agriculture had settled down but it had gone through many bad years. Who knows how they had survived during that period
Hubert von Herkomer - On Strike 1891
Sir Hubert has offered a different, less romantic impression of country life here. The 'Nicky Tams,' those strings tied around his trousers just under the knee to stop rats running up, indicate an agricultural worker, and not a happy one at that. Earning possibly 6 shillings a week, with tied cottage, was not much for long hours in the fields. While country folk know how to eat 'off the land' it is still hard going at times. Many strikes up to the Great War in 1914 and some by that time were still on 7/6d or up to 15 shillings for ploughmen in some places, but only after much strife.
John Henry Henshall - Behind the Bar 1882
The place to gather to eat, get warm, and meet friends was the public house. In towns and cities these places were light, gas lit, warm, and far from the rotten homes many lived in. Food and drink was available and out off the odd song and dance act grew the variety theatres, one of the best places to find entertainment in Victorian days. 'Beer shops' were also allowed to flourish for 40 years or so, but the increase in trouble following the drinking got them closed down, much to the brewers annoyance. Such caring people!
Samuel Bough - Dysart on the Coast, Sunrise
4 comments:
'Ye canny get oot the stable door wi'oot yer nicky tams'...I remember my father singing that....
Yes, the tied cottage, the mud floor and the rats in the thatch....the romance of life for the country poor...
Fly, The Victorians looked back from the crowded towns and remembered the 'good old days' when everything was better!
I remember in my childhood that the old folk who had been in World War 1 all thought it was brilliant. Did make me wonder even at the time what their homes had been like. It was apparently the comradeship and opportunities for meeting the opposite sex that they liked,much better than the bloody pit or hoeing turnips in the countryside. I was surprised when I grew older and learned how horrible it had actually been. I still don't really have any theories about why that is
Jenny, Indeed those who came home did remember the comradeship, that is something only servicemen can understand. There was a song, 'How can you keep them down on the farm now that they've seen Paree?' whichwas popular at the time.
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