I often wonder what the archeologists will think of us in a few millennia. What will the driving forces of our era of civilization be and how will the wearable art of the time reflect it? I’ll leave that level of analysis to the anthropologists of the future. Today, we’re looking back to the Victorians.
Before I begin, this is an introduction for those among us who aren’t as familiar with the era or those who can never remember if it’s 1837 or 1847 (hi, it’s me). This is by no means a deep dive or an authoritative work. Now let’s dive in.
The Victorian era began in 1837 and runs the entire span of Queen Victoria’s reign until it comes to an end in 1901. This time period marks the industrialization of the United Kingdom – the population of the UK doubled between 1801 and 1871, there were great migrations in many directions. The beginning of the period is marked by great social perils – the subjugation of enslaved people, the use of child labour, and dangerous factory conditions among them – that would eventually see progress through lobbying and campaigns led by organizers and community groups.
With so much new wealth created with industrialization, a very segmented hierarchical society began to see people moving more fluidly between the levels than they had before. The idea of mass leisure also grew in popularity, which prompted the development of more museums, parks, and music halls. Seaside holidays were also wildly popular.
So what did this all mean for jewelry? Well, for starters, it meant it was more accessible than it had ever been before. More sectors of the population had varying levels of disposable income that they could dedicate to acquiring a pretty pair of earrings or perhaps a ring of significance. The wide use of affordable seed pearls and gold rushes in Australia and California meant raw materials were more affordable than ever.
This combined with romantic themes inspired by the marriage of Queen Victoria to Prince Albert in 1840 and a general idealization of family life created jewelry that depicted loved ones in cameos or set with gems that created acrostics of “Dearest” and the like. And as the British and French empires grew by invading further reaches of the world, the art of these exotic locales became infused in the jewelry. This would ultimately contribute to a surge in revival jewelry, which is jewelry created to reflect a different time – in this case, many ancient themes spurred by a fascination with archeology.
Entire treatises have been written on the practice of mourning jewelry, so for the short version, let’s say it was common to wear black jewelry in commemoration of deceased loved ones, often with a lock of their hair inside. The practice was already fairly popular, but Prince Albert’s death in 1861 sent the queen into an extended state of mourning for the rest of her life, only wearing black for the rest of her days, including her jewelry.
By the time of her death, Queen Victoria’s extended isolation made her a very unpopular figure in society and the trends began to drift. Her son Edward and his wife Alexandra were the accepted leaders of British society by the 1880s. Motifs in the late Victorian-era begin moving toward clovers, quatrefoils, stars, crescents, and shields, among others. After so much sadness, society was ripe for the Art Nouveau moment, which would take hold in 1890.
Quick Victorian Jewelry Facts:
When: 1837 - 1901
Who: Named for the British monarch, Queen Victoria
Motifs: Mourning Jewelry, Cameos, Florals, Hearts, Snakes, Weeping Willows, Celestial
