The Victorian Variety Show

Just a (not so) quick and (mostly unscripted) explanation of why the show is going on hiatus until December, which ends with my reading of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, “Spirits of the Dead.” ***** References Poe, Edgar Allan. “Spirits of the Dead.” https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48632/spirits-of-the-dead Wikipedia. “Poems by Edgar Allan Poe.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poems_by_Edgar_Allan_Poe#Spirits_of_the_Dead_(1827) ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter (or X, or whatever it’s called now): twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Threads: threads.net/@marisadf13 Bluesky: @marisadf13.bsky.social Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

In the second episode of my 2-part examination of the life and career of Sir William Crookes (1832-1919), I explore events that inspired his interest in spiritualism, his unique methods of combining his studies in this area with his scientific background, and his work with some well-known 19th-century mediums, as well as the reception his work with mediums received from the scientific and spiritualist communities. ***** References Barral, Miguel. “The Ghosts of William Crookes.” https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/science/leading-figures/the-ghosts-of-william-crookes/ Crookes, William. Researches in the phenomena of spiritualism. https://archive.org/details/researchesinphen00croo/page/4/mode/2up Doyle, Arthur Conan. “The Researches of Sir William Crookes.” https://worldspirituality.org/william-crookes-html/ Ghost Club, The. “The Ghost Club.” https://ghostclub.org.uk/history.html Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, The. https://hermeticgoldendawn.org Magnet Academy (National MagLab). “William Crookes.” https://nationalmaglab.org/magnet-academy/history-of-electricity-magnetism/pioneers/william-crookes/ Psi Encyclopedia. “William Crookes.” https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/william-crookes#:~:text=William%20Crookes%20was%20the%20first%20British%20scientist%20of,continue%20to%20be%20widely%20cited%20and%20discussed%20today. Society for Psychical Research. https://www.spr.ac.uk/about/our-history Victorian Era. “Victorian Spiritualism And Spiritualists.” https://victorian-era.org/victorian-spiritualism-spiritualists.html Wikipedia “Allen Thomson.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Thomson “C.F. Varley.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._F._Varley “William Crookes.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Crookes Relevant past TVVS episodes “2 Sides of Sir William Crookes, Part 1: The Scientist.” https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/episodes/2-Sides-of-Sir-William-Crookes--Part-1-The-Scientist-e295aad “Victorian-Era Spiritualism, Part 1: The Fox Sisters.” https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/episodes/Victorian-Era-Spiritualism--Part-1-The-Fox-Sisters-e187d57 ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter (or X, or whatever it’s called now): twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Threads: threads.net/@marisadf13 Bluesky: @marisadf13.bsky.social Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

I first learned about British physicist and chemist Sir William Crookes (1832-1919) several months ago, while working on my episode on X-rays. Recently, while reading Violet Tweedale’s Ghosts I Have Seen and Other Psychic Experiences, I learned that Sir William had an interest in spiritual and paranormal matters in addition to the sciences. In this episode, I focus on some of his better known scientific discoveries (and will discuss his relationship to the paranormal next time). ***** References Barral, Miguel. “The Ghosts of William Crookes.” https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/science/leading-figures/the-ghosts-of-william-crookes/ Crookes, Sir William. On radiant matter [microform] : a lecture delivered to the British Association for the Advancement of Science, at Sheffield, Friday, August 22, 1879. https://archive.org/details/onradiantmatterl00croorich/page/7/mode/2up Division of Chemical Education, Purdue University. “6.1 Crookes' Tube.” https://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/demosheets/6.1.htm National MagLab. “William Crookes.” https://nationalmaglab.org/magnet-academy/history-of-electricity-magnetism/pioneers/william-crookes/ Sella, Andrea. “Crookes' tube.” https://www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/crookes-tube/8381.article Travis, Anthony S. “Introduction: Food or Famine.” https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-68963-0_1 Tweedale, Violet. Ghosts I Have Seen and Other Psychic Experiences. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/39769/39769-h/39769-h.htm#Page_33 Wikipedia “Atomic, molecular, and optical physics.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic,_molecular,_and_optical_physics#Optical_physics “Crookes radiometer.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crookes_radiometer “Organic chemistry.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_chemistry “Phenakistiscope.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenakistiscope “Robert Bunsen.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bunsen “William Crookes.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Crookes ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter (or X, or whatever it’s called now): twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Threads: threads.net/@marisadf13 Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

If you spend any time learning about Victorian Era funeral and burial etiquette, chances are you’ll come across an illustration of a Fisk Patent Air-Tight Metallic Burial Case…and once you do, you’ll never forget it. I discuss the circumstances that inspired the creation of this unique coffin and some of its benefits, as well as how it’s often viewed from a modern perspective. ***** References American Civil War Medicine & Surgical Antiques. “Valentine Mott, M.D.” http://medicalantiques.com/civilwar/Medical_Authors_Faculty/Mott_Vanentine.htm Cherrell, Kate. “Victorian Iron Mummies: The Fisk Casket.” https://burialsandbeyond.com/2019/07/01/victorian-iron-mummies-the-fisk-casket/ Dickinson, Emily. “A Coffin — is a small Domain.” https://allpoetry.com/A-Coffin---is-a-small-Domain Fisk, Almond D. “Patent US5920A.” https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/59/07/cd/c02d1344615405/US5920.pdf Meier, Allison. “The Cast Iron Coffin That Was Too Creepy Even for the Victorians.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/morbid-monday-fisk-mummy-case Neighbors, Joy. “A Grave Interest.” https://agraveinterest.blogspot.com/2012/08/history-of-coffins-caskets.html Warnasch, Scott. “A Brief History of Fisk’s Coffins.” https://ironcoffinmummy.com/a-brief-history-of-fisks-coffins/ Wikipedia. “Fisk metallic burial case.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisk_metallic_burial_case Woodyard, Chris. “A Grave Warning About Iron Coffins.” http://hauntedohiobooks.com/news/a-grave-warning-about-iron-coffins/ ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter (or X, or whatever it’s called now): twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Threads: threads.net/@marisadf13 Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

In this Season 3 premiere, I bring you my recent conversation with Ryan Stevens, in which we talked briefly about the history of figure skating, as well as its increased popularity in the 19th Century and Victorian Era “Skate King,” Jackson Haines. About Ryan Stevens: I am a former figure skater and judge from Halifax, Nova Scotia. I have been writing about figure skating history since 2013, on my blog Skate Guard. I also write for U.S. Figure Skating's magazine "Skating", the oldest continuously published skating periodical in the world. I have been consulted on figure skating history by numerous museums, as well as by television programs on CBC, NBC and ITV. Skate Guard: skateguard1.blogspot.ca Jackson Haines: The Skating King: https://bit.ly/3WKMKkZ ***** References du Maurier, George. “Rincomania.” http://www.skatingaheadofthecurve.com/ThePoetryOfSkating.html du Maurier, George. “Rincomania” (with illustration). https://archive.org/details/punch68a69lemouoft/page/n43/mode/2up Talent, Annalise. “Become an Instant Expert on William Wordsworth, the Ice-Skating Poet.” https://theartssociety.org/arts-news-features/become-instant-expert-william-wordsworth-ice-skating-poet Wikipedia. “George du Maurier.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_du_Maurier Wikipedia. “The Prelude.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prelude Wordsworth, William. “So through the darkness and cold we flew.” https://wordsworth-coleridge.com/home/wordsworth/skating ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Threads: threads.net/@marisadf13 Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

In the second episode of my 2-part miniseries on Isabella Mary Mayson Beeton (a.k.a. “Mrs. Beeton”), I delve deeper into her voluminous Book of Household Management. Catch episode 1 here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6cBEAgXffA4uv8doOxpm6l?si=doVWQOEYT5qbHki5lua8zg ***** References Beeton, Isabella. The Book of Household Management (1861 edition). https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/10136/pg10136.html Beeton, Isabella. The Book of Household Management (1888 edition). https://archive.org/details/b21536193/page/n1/mode/1up Discover Britain. “Isabella Beeton and the art of household management.” https://www.discoverbritainmag.com/isabella-beeton-and-the-art-of-household-management/ Hughes, Kathryn. “Mrs Beeton and the art of household management.” https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/mrs-beeton-and-the-art-of-household-management Miss Windsor’s Delectables. “The Culinary Chronicles of Mrs Beeton!” https://missw.shar-web.co.uk/myblog/the-culinary-chronicles-of-mrs-beeton/ Wikipedia. “Isabella Beeton.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Beeton ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Threads: threads.net/@marisadf13 Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

If you’re a fan of vintage food and cooking (like I am), you’ve probably heard the name “Mrs. Beeton,” and may even have seen an edition of her voluminous Book of Household Management. But who was Mrs. Beeton, and what are some reasons her book has stood the test of time? ***** References Beeton, Isabella. The Book of Household Management. https://archive.org/details/b21536193/page/n1/mode/1up Discover Britain. “Isabella Beeton and the art of household management.” https://www.discoverbritainmag.com/isabella-beeton-and-the-art-of-household-management/ Findlaw. “Copyrighting Recipes.” https://www.findlaw.com/smallbusiness/intellectual-property/copyrighting-recipes.html Hughes, Kathryn. “Mrs Beeton and the art of household management.” https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/mrs-beeton-and-the-art-of-household-management Miss Windsor’s Delectables. “The Culinary Chronicles of Mrs Beeton!” https://missw.shar-web.co.uk/myblog/the-culinary-chronicles-of-mrs-beeton/ Wikipedia. “Isabella Beeton.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Beeton Wikipedia. “The Queen: The Ladies Newspaper and Court Chronicle.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Queen:_The_Ladies_Newspaper_and_Court_Chronicle ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Threads: threads.net/@marisadf13 Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners! Download a FREE audiobook version of Washington Irving’s The Chronicles of Wolfert’s Roost & Other Papers (for which I read a chapter) here! https://librivox.org/chronicles-of-wolferts-roost-and-other-papers-by-washington-irving/

I (& my dog) recently had X-rays, & it hit me that X-rays were a pretty big (albeit short-lived) fad toward the end of the Victorian Era. I discuss the history of the X-ray, & explore why X-rays were initially so popular & why that popularity eventually faded. ***** References Click Americana. “How X-rays were discovered – Victorian medical tech we still use every day.” https://clickamericana.com/topics/discoveries-inventions/how-x-rays-were-first-discovered-medical-tech Davis-Marks, Isis. “Researchers Reveal Mummy’s Surprising Contents Without Unwrapping It.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-examine-1900-year-old-mummy-without-opening-it-180976561/ Gershon, Livia. “The X-Ray Craze of 1896.” https://daily.jstor.org/the-x-ray-craze-of-1896/ Kaye, George William Clarkson. X rays, an introduction to the study of Röntgen rays. https://archive.org/details/xraysintroductio00kayerich/page/216/mode/2up Kennedy, Kelsey. “The Existential Horror Created by the First X-Ray Images.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/roentgen-xrays-discovery-radiographs Pamboukian, Sylvia. “‘Looking Radiant’m Science, Photography and the X-ray Craze of 1896.” https://www.jstor.org/stable/27793468?mag=the-x-ray-craze-of-1896 Wikipedia. “Crookes tube.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crookes_tube Wikipedia. “X-ray.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray X-Ray Art. “Pre-Röntgen X-Ray History.” https://www.xray-art.com/pre-rontgen-x-ray-history/ ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

I briefly explore the life of writer Edith Nesbit, a.k.a. “E. Nesbit” (1858-1924), and read excerpts from some of her works. ***** References Banerjee, Jacqueline. “E. Nesbit, Rudyard Kipling and The Strand Magazine.” https://victorianweb.org/authors/nesbit/kipling.html Britannica. “Fabian Society.” https://www.britannica.com/topic/Fabian-Society Fabian Society. “Our History.” https://fabians.org.uk/about-us/our-history/ Morbid Curiosity Podcast. “The Shadow.” https://www.thebelfry.rip/blog/2022/1/24/shadow-of-edith-nesbit-morbid-curiosity Nesbit, E. “A Dirge.” https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/50162/pg50162-images.html#A_DIRGE Nesbit, E. “Man-Size in Marble.” https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/40321/pg40321-images.html#MAN-SIZE_IN_MARBLE Nesbit, E. The Story of the Treasure Seekers. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/770/pg770-images.html Page, Benedicte. “E Nesbit's classic The Railway Children accused of 'plagiarism'.” https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/mar/21/nesbit-railway-children-plagiarism Wikipedia. “E. Nesbit.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Nesbit Wikipedia. “The Children’s Book.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Children%27s_Book Winter, Jessica. “The British Socialist Who Rewrote the World for Children.” https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/the-british-socialist-who-rewrote-the-world-for-children ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners! Also, check out Anthony Trollope’s Hunting Sketches and thousands of other FREE audiobook versions of books in the public domain at LibriVox.org!

What with popular attribution of the phrase “We are not amused” to Queen Victoria and the widespread belief that Victorians were obsessed with etiquette and death, it’s easy to get the impression that many people during this period lacked a sense of humor. However, I will explain why I’ve found the opposite to be the case, and provide examples of Victorian humor. ***** References Nicholson, Bob. “Actually, we are amused – how the Victorians helped to shape Britain’s unique sense of humour.” https://theconversation.com/actually-we-are-amused-how-the-victorians-helped-to-shape-britains-unique-sense-of-humour-82714 Punch 1841-1992. https://archive.org/details/pub_punch Rowe, Kaz. “The Endless Horror of TikTok’s Historical Misinformation.” https://youtu.be/l4NflBAcsJ4 Russ, Arthur. “19th Century British and American Humour.” https://discover.hubpages.com/education/victorian-humour The Book of humour, wit, and wisdom : a manual of table-talk. https://archive.org/details/bookofhumourwitw00londiala/page/n5/mode/2up Vasey, George. The philosophy of laughter and smiling. https://archive.org/details/philosophyoflaug00vase/page/27/mode/2up Victorian London Random Joke Generator. http://www.victorianlondon.org/joke/random.htm Vintage Everyday. “18th-19th Century Jokes Most People Today Might Not ‘Get.’” https://www.vintag.es/2017/07/18th-19th-century-jokes-most-people.html Wikipedia. “Phrenology.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrenology Wilson, Andy. “Queen bombshell: Did Queen Victoria really say 'we are not amused'?” https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1287776/Queen-Victoria-did-Queen-Victoria-say-we-are-not-amused And, if you haven’t yet listened to my previous episode on Punch Magazine, you can check it out here! https://open.spotify.com/episode/5w0dB0O3oniDXuhattiwkJ?si=idK_dDvcSquSpiInUag7JQ ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

In this episode, I discuss Robert Clark Kedzie (1823-1902), a Michigan doctor, chemist, and professor, and explain why his 1874 book, Shadows from the Walls of Death, can be considered one of the deadliest books ever written. ***** References Bien, Laura. “In the Archives: Poison Pages.” https://annarborchronicle.com/2012/05/03/in-the-archives-poison-pages/index.html Harvey, Mark. “Shadows from the Walls of Death.” https://michiganology.org/stories/shadows-from-the-walls-of-death/ Kedzie, R.C. Shadows from the walls of death: facts and inferences prefacing a book of specimens of arsenical wall papers. https://archive.org/details/0234555.nlm.nih.gov/page/n3/mode/1up Lindley, Robin. “Arsenic, but No Old Lace—Medical Historian James C. Whorton on the Poisoning of Nineteenth-Century Britain.” https://hnn.us/article/131120#:~:text=Arsenic%20was%20used%20even%20in%20medications%20to%20treat,this%20age%20of%20laissez-faire%20capitalism%20and%20governmental%20indifference. Michigan State University. “Robert C. Kedzie.” https://onthebanks.msu.edu/Object/162-565-3181/robert-c-kedzie/ Norman, Jeremy N. “Robert Clark Kedzie Issues ‘Poisonous Paper,’ and a Poisonous Wallpaper Book Published in an Edition of 100 Copies.” https://historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=3404 Zawacki, Alexander J. “How a Library Handles a Rare and Deadly Book of Wallpaper Samples.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/shadows-from-the-walls-of-death-book And, if you haven’t yet listened to my previous episode on arsenic and its frequent usage during the Victorian Era, you can check it out here! https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/episodes/The-Ubiquity-of-Arsenic-During-the-Victorian-Era-e1dafc0 ***** Thanks again to one of my favorite podcasts, Noctivagant: A Paranormal Book Club, for mentioning TVVS in their most recent episode, which you can listen to here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4xZBWRYmvLLkCx1HWFA2X1?si=3jrjGcFsTauLgodSQqNOTA ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

I discuss what I was able to find about the life of Charles Elmé Francatelli (1805-1876), one of the Victorian Era’s “celebrity chefs,” who spent part of his career cooking for The Queen and Prince Albert, and look at 2 of his cookbooks, The Modern Cook and A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes. ***** References Cook’s Guide, The. “Charles Elmé Francatelli.” http://www.thecooksguide.com/articles/francatelli.html Cook’s Info. “Charles Elmé Francatelli: Victorian Celebrity Chef.” https://www.cooksinfo.com/charles-elme-francatelli Flantzer, Susan. “Charles Elmé Francatelli, Maitre d’hotel and Chief Cook in Ordinary to Queen Victoria.” https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/charles-elme-francatelli/ Francatelli, Charles Elmé. A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/22114/22114-h/22114-h.htm Francatelli, Charles Elmé. The Modern Cook. https://archive.org/details/b21530154/page/n5/mode/1up Gilbert, Lauren. “Cook at Buckingham Palace: Charles Elme' Francatelli.” https://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/2019/01/cook-at-buckingham-palace-charles-elme.html Smythe, Colin. “Charles Elmé Francatelli, Crockford’s, and the Royal Connection.” https://colinsmythe.co.uk/charles-elme-francatelli-crockfords-and-the-royal-connection/ Wikipedia. “Charles Elmé Francatelli.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Elmé_Francatelli Wikipedia. “Marie-Antoine Carême.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie-Antoine_Carême ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Mastodon: @marisad@is.nota.live Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

You can’t talk about physical culture during the Victorian Era without discussing “Muscular Christianity.” I describe how this movement developed in the mid-19th century, ways in which it was practiced within and outside the UK, and how it intersected with phenomena that are still with us today, such as nationalism, imperialism, and eugenics. ***** References Graham, Alex. “Friedrich Ludwig Jahn & German Nationalism.” https://counter-currents.com/2017/11/friedrich-ludwig-jahn-and-german-nationalism/ Heffernan, Conor. “Indian Clubs in Victorian Britain.” https://physicalculturestudy.com/2022/01/19/indian-clubs-in-victorian-britain/ Hughes, Thomas. Tom Brown’s Schooldays. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1480/1480-h/1480-h.htm#link2HCH0018 Morse, Greg. “The Search for Manly Men of God.” https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-search-for-manly-men-of-god Movement Health. “What is the Physical Culture Movement?” https://www.movementhealth.com.au/news/physical-culture-movement/ Perelman, Michael, and Vincent Portillo. “The Brutal Legacy of the Muscular Christian Movement.” https://www.counterpunch.org/2013/08/09/the-brutal-legacy-of-the-muscular-christian-movement/ Stark, James. “Fitness gurus and ‘muscular Christianity’: how Victorian Britain anticipated today’s keep fit craze.” https://theconversation.com/fitness-gurus-and-muscular-christianity-how-victorian-britain-anticipated-todays-keep-fit-craze-129522 Wikipedia “Charles Kingsley.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Kingsley “Charles Spurgeon.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Spurgeon “Christian Socialism.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_socialism “Friedrich Ludwig Jahn.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Ludwig_Jahn “Luther Burbank.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luther_Burbank “Tom Brown’s Schooldays.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Brown's_School_Days ***** I am honored to have been included in the most recent episode of Sandman Stories Presents! Check it out here (and catch a few past episodes while you’re there!): https://open.spotify.com/episode/3zZ11HW0tV1RwWjdEHM5hJ?si=vtId5NQvTzu98CvudrHqPg&dd=1 ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Mastodon: @marisad@is.nota.live Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

In this episode, I explore the stages in which fitness culture evolved in the 19th Century, as well as the rise of strongman athletes and fitness “gurus,” some popular fitness equipment of the period, and early gymnasiums. ***** References Barford, Vanessa, and Lucy Townsend. “Eugen Sandow: The man with the perfect body.” https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-19977415 BBC News. “'Manly exercise' manual found at Cambridge college.” https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-38420468 Britannica. “Eugen Sandow.” https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eugen-Sandow Ernst, Gustav. The portable gymnasium: a manual of exercises, arranged for self instruction in the use of the portable gymnasium. https://archive.org/details/b20399789/page/61/mode/1up Macfadden, Bernarr. Macfadden's physical training : an illustrated system of exercise for the development of health, strength and beauty. https://archive.org/details/macfaddensphysic00macf/page/6/mode/2up Movement Health. “What is the Physical Culture Movement?” https://www.movementhealth.com.au/news/physical-culture-movement/ ScotlandsPeople. “Our Records: A Victorian Gymnasium.” https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/article/victorian-gymnasium Stark, James. “Fitness gurus and ‘muscular Christianity’: how Victorian Britain anticipated today’s keep fit craze.” https://theconversation.com/fitness-gurus-and-muscular-christianity-how-victorian-britain-anticipated-todays-keep-fit-craze-129522 Walker, Donald. British manly exercises : containing rowing and sailing, riding, & driving. https://archive.org/details/britishmanlyexer00walk/page/n105/mode/2up Wikipedia. “François Delsarte.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/François_Delsarte Wikipedia. “Friedrich Ludwig Jahn.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Ludwig_Jahn Wikipedia. “Genevieve Stebbins.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genevieve_Stebbins Wikipedia. “Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Christoph_Friedrich_GutsMuths Wikipedia. “Somatics.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatics#:~:text=An%2520early%2520precursor%2520of%2520the%2520somatic%2520movement%2520in,culture%2520practices%2520were%2520brought%2520to%2520the%2520US.%2520 ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Mastodon: @marisad@is.nota.live Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

When you think of “haunted” houses, there’s a good chance that structures built during the Victorian Era come to mind. I look at some characteristics of “Victorian” houses, and explore how and when their association with ghosts came about. ***** References Ayers, Vivienne. “Georgian house style – what it is and how to get the look.” https://www.homesandgardens.com/house-design/georgian-house-style D’Costa, Krystal. “Why are Victorian Houses Haunted?” https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anthropology-in-practice/why-are-victorian-houses-haunted/ Friends of Oak Grove Cemetery. “Victorian Funeral Customs and Superstitions.” https://friendsofoakgrovecemetery.org/victorian-funeral-customs-fears-and-superstitions/ Gallagher, Danny. “5 Real Houses That Inspired the Construction of the Haunted Mansion.” https://allears.net/2019/08/05/5-real-houses-that-inspired-the-construction-of-the-haunted-mansion/ Hoevel, Ann. “Blueprint for the ultimate haunted house – Victorian style.” https://www.cnn.com/2013/10/03/living/decor-haunted-houses/index.html Interesly. “Architecture of Fear – the Victorian Haunted House.” https://www.interesly.com/architecture-fear-victorian-haunted-house/ MasterClass. “Victorian Architecture: 3 Characteristics of Victorian Architecture.” https://www.masterclass.com/articles/victorian-architecture Mendelsohn, Hadley. “The Real Reason Victorian Houses Are Always Considered the Most Haunted.” https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a37527693/victorian-haunted-house/ MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). “Edward Hopper: House by the Railroad.” https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78330 Riddell, Charlotte. “The Open Door.” https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0606251.txt ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

The fern has been associated with myth and mystery for centuries, but the Victorians took their appreciation for this plant species to new levels. I discuss some events and circumstances that led to pteridomania (“fern fever”), as well as ways in which the magical fern was incorporated into the everyday lives of millions of Victorians. ***** References American Fern Society. https://www.amerfernsoc.org Brain, Jessica. “The Wardian Case.” https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Wardian-Case/ Britannica. “Fern.” https://www.britannica.com/plant/fern Castelow, Ellen. “Pteridomania – Fern Madness.” https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Pteridomania-Fern-Madness/ Green, Cynthia. “When Ferns Were All The Rage.” https://daily.jstor.org/when-ferns-were-all-the-rage/ Hamilton, E.L. “Victorian Ladies used Ferns as a Covert way to Express Passion and Desire.” https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/05/29/victorian-ferns/?safari=1 Kingsley, Charles. Glaucus, or the Wonders of the Shore. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/695/695-h/695-h.htm Morris Arboretum (University of Pennsylvania). “The Fernery.” https://www.morrisarboretum.org/gardens-trees/garden-features/fernery Mueller, Nora. “In Pursuit of Madness: ‘Pteridomania’ and The Historic Fascination With Ferns.” https://gardencollage.com/wander/gardens-parks/ferb-obsession/ Nikolaidou, Dimitra. “How the Victorian Fern-Hunting Craze Led To Adventure, Romance, and Crime.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-the-victorian-fern-hunting-craze-led-to-adventure-romance-and-crime Symbolism and Metaphor. “Fern Symbolism & Meaning (Invisibility & Fortune).” https://symbolismandmetaphor.com/fern-symbolism-meaning/ Wikipedia. “Henry Bradbury.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Bradbury Wikipedia. “Nature printing.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_printing Wikipedia. “Pteridomania.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pteridomania ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Fainting women were a pretty common trope in 19th century literature. I discuss some reasons why Victorian-Era women were likely to faint, but also explore how much of what we know about “fainting culture” might have been myth, and how much was likely reality. ***** References Agnew, Molly Elizabeth. “The Truth About Corsets: Busting the Myths.” https://thevintagewomanmagazine.com/the-truth-about-corsets-busting-the-myths/ Austen, Jane. Love and Freindship. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1212/1212-h/1212-h.htm Dickens, Charles. The Pickwick Papers. https://www.victorianlondon.org/etexts/dickens/pickwick-0012.shtml Goshorn, Kelly. “Swooning, a Victorian Fad?” https://kellygoshorn.com/archives/2018/04/swooning-a-victorian-fad#:~:text=Swooning%20was%20simply%20one%20method%20for%20a%20woman,a%20secret%20affair%20and%20child%2C%20may%20be%20revealed. Lucy. “Corsets and the Victorian Fainting Culture.” https://lucycorsetry.com/2014/09/25/corsets-and-the-victorian-fainting-culture/ Morris, C. “The Myth about Victorian Women You Can Stop Believing.” https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/the-myth-about-victorian-women-you-can-stop-believing/ar-AAYbNmk Valentish, Jenny. “The corsets are gone, so why are women still fainting?” https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/voices/culture/article/2018/03/22/corsets-are-gone-so-why-are-women-still-fainting Valeris, Monique. “Everything You Need to Know about a Fainting Couch.” https://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/interior-designers/a28786604/fainting-couch-history/ Vic. “The Connection Between Vinegar and the Fainting Couch: 19th Century Customs.” https://janeaustensworld.com/2012/03/11/the-connection-between-vinegar-and-the-fainting-couch-19th-century-customs/ Victorian Era. “Fainting Couch In Victorian Era.” https://victorian-era.org/fainting-couch-victorian-era.html Wikipedia. “Fainting Couch.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fainting_couch Wikipedia. “Love and Freindship.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_and_Freindship ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Although Valentine’s Day existed prior to the 19th century, the Victorians helped to make this day what we know and love (or hate) today. I briefly discuss the history of the day, then talk about the many “vinegar valentines” Victorians looking to insult rather than flirt could choose from. **** References Andersen, Charlotte Hilton. “What Is Valentine’s Day, and Why Do We Celebrate It?” https://www.rd.com/article/history-of-valentines-day/ Corrigan, Maya. “When Valentines Were Vicious: A Brief History of the Vinegar Valentine.” https://crimereads.com/when-valentines-were-vicious-a-brief-history-of-the-vinegar-valentine/ Five Minute History. “Valentine’s Day in the Victorian Era.” https://fiveminutehistory.com/valentines-day-in-the-victorian-era/ Ponti, Crystal. “Victorian-Era 'Vinegar' Valentines Could Be Mean and Hostile.” https://www.history.com/news/victorian-valentines-day-cards-vinegar Zarrelli, Natalie. “The Rude, Cruel, and Insulting ‘Vinegar Valentines’ of the Victorian Era.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/vinegar-valentines-victorian Zelazko, Alicja. “Why Do We Give Valentine Cards?” https://www.britannica.com/story/why-do-we-give-valentine-cards ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

I read 2 fairy tales from the 1893 children’s book, Rays of Sunshine: “A Frog He Would a Wooing Go” and “Death and Burial of Cock Robin.” ***** References “A Frog He Would A Wooing Go.” Rays of Sunshine. New York: M'Loughlin Bros., 1893. https://archive.org/details/raysofsunshine00unse/page/n7/mode/2up “Death and Burial of Cock Robin.” Rays of Sunshine. New York: M'Loughlin Bros., 1893. https://archive.org/details/raysofsunshine00unse/page/n7/mode/2up Mama Lisa’s World. “A Frog He Would A-wooing Go, Georgie Porgie, and the Meaning of Roly-Poly.” https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/a-frog-he-would-a-wooing-go-and-georgie-porgie/#:~:text=I’ve%20always%20been%20fond%20of%20the%20song%20A,by%20Elvis%20Presley%20and%20Bob%20Dylan%2C%20among%20others. Mantel, P.G. “‘Fairy Tales’ by G.K. Chesterton.” https://www.menofthewest.net/fairy-tales-by-g-k-chesterton/ Public Domain Review, The. “The Death and Burial of Cock Robin.” https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/the-death-and-burial-of-cock-robin Wikipedia. “Cock Robin.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cock_Robin ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

In this minisode, I discuss the history of the zoetrope & explain why, even though it was generally marketed as a “toy,” I believe it was much more than that. ***** References Coterill, Chris. “Early Pioneer: William George Horner.” https://animationgeek.blogspot.com/2011/01/early-pioneer-william-george-horner.html Object Lessons. “Zoetrope, Victorian, Replica.” https://www.objectlessons.org/childhood-and-games-victorians/zoetrope-victorian-replica/s67/a1072/ Taggart, Emma. “Circling the Zoetrope, a Victorian Animation Toy That Helped Shape the Future of Cinema.” https://mymodernmet.com/what-is-a-zoetrope/ Wikipedia. “American Zoetrope.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Zoetrope Wikipedia. “Phenakistiscope.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenakistiscope Wikipedia. “Zoetrope.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoetrope ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

The Victorians are credited with giving us many of the Christmas traditions we know and love today, but in this episode, I look at some with which the majority of us may be less familiar, including the Christmas Pickle, “festive science,” dangerous parlour games, and the infamous wassail bowl. ***** BBC. “History of Christmas.” https://www.bbc.co.uk/victorianchristmas/history.shtml Bradley, Elizabeth L. “Dickens and Irving: A Tale of Two Christmas Tales.” https://hudsonvalley.org/article/dickens-and-irving-a-tale-of-two-christmas-tales/ Cole, Rupert. “Science and Christmas: a forgotten Victorian romance.” https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2012/dec/14/science-christmas-victorian-romance Ellis, Danielle. “A Victorian Christmas: Furmenty and Snapdragon.” https://www.severnbites.com/2016/12/21/a-victorian-christmas-furmenty-and-snapdragon/ Irving, Washington. “The Christmas Dinner.” The Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon. Public Domain eBook. Johnston, Keith. “11 Odd Victorian Christmas Traditions.” https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/652043/victorian-christmas-traditions Martisiute, Laura. “10 Strange Christmas Traditions From The Victorian Era.” https://listverse.com/2016/12/23/10-strange-christmas-traditions-from-the-victorian-era/ Pendle, George. “Victorians’ Christmas Parlor Games Will Leave You Burned, Bruised, And Puking.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/victorians-christmas-parlor-games-will-leave-you-burned-bruised-and-puking Vincent, Sarah. “What Is the Christmas Pickle? The History Behind This Unique Tradition.” https://www.rd.com/article/christmas-pickle/ ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Mastodon: https://is.nota.live/@marisad Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners! Also, if you missed my look at Victorian-Era holiday cards last year, you can find it here: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/episodes/Seasons-Creepings--A-Brief-Discussion-of-Victorian-Era-Holiday-Cards-e1c4ol9

I recently had the opportunity to talk to Traci Muller Rylands about cemeteries she has visited around the U.S. and the research those visits have inspired. About Traci: An almost-native of Georgia, Traci Muller Rylands has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Georgia. She didn’t take an interest in cemeteries until 2012, when she became a photo volunteer for findagrave.com, an online database of cemeteries around the world. It was then she began sharing stories from the cemeteries she visited via her blog, adventuresincemeteryhopping.com. A stay-at-home mom, Traci lives in Dunwoody, Georgia, with her husband, Chris, and 15-year-old son, Sean.  ***** References Morticia. “Grave Words: A Love Affair With Victorian Headstones.” http://www.unofficialbritain.com/grave-words-a-love-affair-with-victorian-headstones/ Rossetti, Christina. “One Sea-Side Grave.” https://allpoetry.com/One-Sea-Side-Grave ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Mastodon: https://is.nota.live/@marisad Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Over half a century before “celebrity chefs” captured the public imagination, Agnes Bertha Marshall (1855-1905) was a true visionary who built an empire that included cooking schools, cookbooks and a weekly magazine, retail products, and other ventures. I provide a brief overview of Marshall’s life, and focus on the area she is perhaps best known for—desserts. ***** References Amalgamate. “Horrible Health and Safety Histories: Penny Licks.” http://www.amalgamate-safety.com/2018/05/08/horrible-health-and-safety-histories-penny-licks/ Katz, Brigit. “Meet Agnes B. Marshall, the Victorian Queen of Ice Cream.” https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/598021/ice-cream-queen-of-victorian-england-agnes-b-marshall Marshall, A.B. Fancy Ices. https://archive.org/details/b29314501/mode/1up Marshall, A.B. Mrs. A.B. Marshall’s Cookery Book. https://archive.org/details/b21538050/page/360/mode/2up Marshall, A.B. The Book of Ices. https://archive.org/details/b21539613/mode/2up Waters, Michael. “The 19th-century entrepreneur who pioneered modern ice cream.” https://thehustle.co/agnes-marshall-who-invented-ice-cream/ Wikipedia. “Agnes Marshall.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_Marshall ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Mastodon: https://is.nota.live/@marisad Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

In this episode, I talk to Stephen of one of my favorite podcasts, Dark Stories from the Campfire, about British Occultism’s development during the Victorian Era and various factors that intersected with and influenced it (including French Occultism and Egyptomania). About Stephen: As the creator and writer of Dark Stories from the Campfire and The History of the Tarot, Stephen has had a deep interest in literature and history from a young age. It would not be uncommon to catch him spinning a tale to family or friends. As teenager he began incorporating music into his storytelling. Later, it was his interest in folklore, history, and intersection of music and storytelling that propelled him to study social/cultural anthropology, where he would pick up an interest in death rituals as well as the history of the occult, which began a life long obsession with Ouija boards and Tarot cards. Briefly, Stephen had a Youtube channel covering history and folklore, which ended due to his distaste for video editing. Shorlty thereafter, however, he began the Dark Stories from the Campfire podcast, where he presents original horror tales with the stories and music written by him. The podcast can be found here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dark-stories-from-the-campfire/id1531508421. To contact Stephen, he is on Twitter @dark_campfire where he shares horror related material, as well as art, history, and occult materials.  ***** Reference Yeats, William Butler. “Magic.” https://hermetic.com/yeats/ideas-of-good-and-evil/magic ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Mastodon: https://is.nota.live/@marisad Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

There were a lot of sightings of “sea serpents” during the Victorian Era. I discuss some well-known sightings, and explain why these mysterious creatures became an important part of 19th-century culture despite the genuine fear they inspired in so many people. ***** References Coleman, Loren. Mysterious America: The Ultimate Guide to the Nation's Weirdest Wonders, Strangest Spots, and Creepiest Creatures. New York: Paraview, 2007. Cooke, Simon. “Victorian Cryptozoology: The Great Sea-Serpent and its Cultural Representations.” https://victorianweb.org/history/cultural/seaserpent/cooke.html Hall, Stephanie. “The Great American Sea Serpent.” https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2016/08/great-american-sea-serpent/ Lillywhite, Harvey. “There are dozens of sea snake species in the Indian and Pacific oceans, but none in the Caribbean. Why?” https://news.ufl.edu/articles/2018/03/there-are-dozens-of-sea-snake-species-in-the-indian-and-pacific-oceans-but-none-in-the-caribbean-why.html Mellor, Joe. “Sightings of sea monsters by sailors directly influenced by discovery of fossils in 19th century.” https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/must-reads/weird-news/sightings-of-sea-monsters-by-sailors-directly-influenced-by-discovery-of-fossils-in-19th-century-129925/ Verne, Jules. Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/164 Wikipedia. “Eastern racer.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_racer Wikipedia. “Linnaean Society of New England.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linnaean_Society_of_New_England Wikipedia. “Sea Snake.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_snake ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

I am very excited to have Lindsay Valenty of the Ye Olde Crime podcast as TVVS’s first-ever guest! Lindsay provides us with lots of excellent information about Spring-Heeled Jack, who was far more than just a popular character from the penny dreadfuls. You can learn more about Lindsay and her AWESOME podcast here: linktr.ee/yeoldecrime ***** Sources Anonymous. “Spring-Heeled Jack: The Terror of London.” http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0602571h.html Castelow, Ellen. “Spring Heeled Jack.” https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Spring-Heeled-Jack/ Grundhauser, Eric. “Meet Spring-Heeled Jack, the Leaping Devil That Terrorized Victorian England.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/meet-springheeled-jack-the-leaping-devil-that-terrorized-victorian-england Lamoureux, Aimee. “The Legend Of Spring-Heeled Jack, The Victorian Demon Who Terrorized London.” https://allthatsinteresting.com/spring-heeled-jack Nelson, January. “27 Facts About Spring-Heeled Jack, The Killer Who Could Be A Human Or Could Be A Creature.” https://thoughtcatalog.com/january-nelson/2018/08/spring-heeled-jack/ Scotsman, The. “Who was ‘Spring-heeled Jack’ who scared the women of Scotland?” https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/who-was-spring-heeled-jack-who-scared-women-scotland-547481 ***** Ways to Help Hurricane Ian Victims World Central Kitchen: https://wck.org American Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/about-us/news-and-events/news/2022/red-cross-responds-to-hurricane-ian.html Caring for Others, Inc.: https://caring4others.org/hurricane-disaster-relief/ Direct Relief: https://www.directrelief.org/emergency/hurricane-ian/ The Salvation Army: https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/news/the-salvation-army-prepares-for-hurricane-ian-as-fiona-relief-continues/ American Humane: https://www.americanhumane.org/monitoring-hurricane-ian/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyt-ZBhCNARIsAKH1174tRM5079zyHf20aBFiy1AVxL3MmW8UGoUaCO4a2EZrNnO3TCaLS4waAlgCEALw_wcB ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

I discovered poet/herpetologist Arthur O’Shaughnessy (1844-1881) earlier this week. In this episode, I explain why I find him so interesting, and read a few of his works. ***** References Finnigan, Robert. “Arthur O’Shaughnessy: An Anglo-Irish Poet?” Nordic Irish Studies 17, no. 2 (2018): 55–74. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26657341. Günther, Albert. “Seventh Contribution to the Knowledge of the Fauna of Madagascar.” https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/79589#page/371/mode/1up Moulton, Louise Chandler. Arthur O'Shaughnessy : his life and his work, with selections from his poems. https://archive.org/details/arthuroshaughnes00osha_0/page/n15/mode/2up O’Shaughnessy, Arthur. “Ode.” https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/54933/ode- O’Shaughnessy, Arthur. “There Is an Earthly Glimmer in the Tomb.” https://archive.org/details/arthuroshaughnes00osha_0/page/n15/mode/2up Wikipedia. “Arthur O'Shaughnessy.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_O%27Shaughnessy Wikipedia. “Ode (poem).” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ode_(poem) Woodyard, Chris, editor. The Victorian Book of the Dead. Kestrel Publications, 2014. ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

In my third and final (for now) episode on Victorian-Era stage magic, I look at the influence of imperialism on this art form, and ways in which Western magicians “Othered” non-Western cultures. ***** References Goto-Jones, Christopher. “Magic, Modernity, and Orientalism: Conjuring Representations of Asia.” Modern Asian Studies, vol. 48, no. 6, 2014, pp. 1451–76. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24494638 Hopkins, Albert A. (ed.) Magic: stage illusions and scientific diversions, including trick photography. https://archive.org/details/magicstageillusi00hopk/page/16/mode/2up Kellar, Harry. “High Caste Indian Magic.” The North American Review, vol. 156, no. 434, 1893, pp. 75–86. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25102513 Said, Edward. “Orientalism: a Brief Definition.” http://www.postcolonialweb.org/poldiscourse/pol11.html Saki (H.H. Munro). “Reginald’s Christmas Revel.” The Complete Saki. New York: Penguin Books, 1982. Stibbe, Arran. “ABRACADABRA, ALAKAZAM: Colonialism and the Discourse of Entertainment Magic.” Soundings: An Interdisciplinary Journal, vol. 88, no. 3/4, 2005, pp. 413–25. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41179134 Wikipedia. “John Nevil Maskelyne.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Nevil_Maskelyne ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners! Also, thanks again to Lindsay & the Ye Olde Crime podcast for having me on their awesome show! Listen here to see if I Cracked the Cramp Word! https://goodpods.app.link/AJSIJEYrYsb

In my second episode on Victorian-Era stage magic, I discuss some of my favorite tricks and illusions from Magic: stage illusions and scientific diversions, including trick photography (1897), edited by Albert A. Hopkins. ***** References Goulden, Anne. “Maskelyne & Cooke: the early years.” http://www.davenportcollection.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Goulden-Anne-2013-Hamburg.pdf Goran, David. “Selected illustrations from a Victorian book on Magic published in 1897.” https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/04/06/selected-illustrations-victorian-book-magic-published-1897/?safari=1 Hopkins, Albert A. (ed.) Magic: stage illusions and scientific diversions, including trick photography. https://archive.org/details/magicstageillusi00hopk/page/16/mode/2up MacRae, Meghan. “Death Is Not The End…A Victorian Book Of Magic And Illusion.” https://cvltnation.com/death-is-not-the-end-a-victorian-book-of-magic-and-illusion/ Wikipedia. “Alexander Herrmann.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Herrmann ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

The Victorian Era was something of a “golden age” for stage magic and illusions. I explain some of the conditions that helped magic shows become seen as a “respectable” form of entertainment, describe some of the venues in which shows were held, and introduce some of the larger-than-life performers whose craft is still emulated to this day. ***** References American Museum of Magic. “The History of Magic.” https://americanmuseumofmagic.com/history-of-magic/ Ashton-Lelliott, Beatrice. “The Prestige: the real-life warring Victorian magicians who inspired the film.” https://theconversation.com/the-prestige-the-real-life-warring-victorian-magicians-who-inspired-the-film-165707/ Greene, Bryan. “For Harry Houdini, Séances and Spiritualism Were Just an Illusion.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/for-harry-houdini-seances-and-spiritualism-were-just-an-illusion-180978944/ Hopkins, Albert A. (ed.) Magic: stage illusions and scientific diversions, including trick photography. https://archive.org/details/magicstageillusi00hopk/page/16/mode/2up MacRae, Meghan. “Death Is Not The End…A Victorian Book Of Magic And Illusion.” https://cvltnation.com/death-is-not-the-end-a-victorian-book-of-magic-and-illusion/ Stephenson, Neal, and Nicole Galland. The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. New York: William Morrow, 2017. University of Sheffield. “Magic and Illlusion.” https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/nfca/researchandarticles/magicandillusion Wikipedia. “Egyptian Hall.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_Hall Wikipedia. “Timeline of Magic.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_magic ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Mourning etiquette was rather elaborate during the Victorian Era, particularly for women. I explain how Queen Victoria inspired these traditions, and look at recommended mourning periods, “widow’s weeds,” mourning warehouses, and (of course) the ubiquitous crepe. ***** References Compass Rose Design. “History of Victorian Mourning Jewelry.” https://www.compassrosedesign.com/pages/history-of-victorian-mourning-jewelry Duffy, E. B. The ladies' and gentlemen's etiquette: a complete manual of the manners and dress of American society. https://archive.org/details/ladiesgentlemens00duff/page/6/mode/2up Gray, Kyrie. “Victorian Women Took Their Mourning Rituals Very Seriously.” https://medium.com/history-of-women/victorian-women-took-their-mourning-very-seriously-d64307f0ab87 Matthews, Mimi. “Shades of Victorian Fashion: Lilacs, Lavenders, Plums, and Purples.” https://www.mimimatthews.com/2016/08/22/shades-of-victorian-fashion-lilacs-lavenders-plums-and-purples/ McDaniel, Katherine. “Angels in Black: Victorian Women in Mourning.” https://greeleymuseums.com/victorian-women-in-mourning/ Sears, Jocelyn. “Wearing a 19th-Century Mourning Veil Could Result in — Twist — Death.” https://www.racked.com/2018/3/29/17156818/19th-century-mourning-veil#:~:text=Unfortunately%2C%20due%20to%20the%20dyes%20and%20chemicals%20used,in%20New%20York.%20Photo%3A%20TIMOTHY%20A.%20CLARY%2FAFP%2FGetty%20Images Smith, Nicola. “In Mourning for Prince Albert.” https://www.historytoday.com/archive/feature/mourning-prince-albert Tetrault, Sam. “Victorian Mourning: Dress & Customs Explained.” https://www.joincake.com/blog/victorian-mourning/ Walton, Geri. “Victorian Mourning: An Art Form in the 19th Century.” https://www.geriwalton.com/victorian-mourning/ Woodyard, Chris, editor. The Victorian Book of the Dead. Kestrel Publications, 2014. ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners! Check out the Dark Stories from the Campfire Podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3LgtKI4MvavrAHWGHxyIVU?si=cCXMeyuJRweKUFWY0a6OBA, or wherever you listen!

The Victorians didn’t play around when it came to death. In this episode, I look at how mourning dolls were created and their functions, and discuss the rationale behind “death kits” that were given to many children during this era. ***** References Brand, Kara. “The Eerie Story Behind Victorian Mourning Dolls.” https://the-line-up.com/victorian-mourning-dolls Cherrell, Kate. “The World of Victorian Grave Dolls.” https://burialsandbeyond.com/2019/01/20/the-world-of-victorian-grave-dolls/ Hung, Louise. “Cabinet of Curiosities: Victorian Death Dolls.” https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/article/cabinet-of-curiosities-victorian-death-dolls/ Merriam-Webster. “Memento mori.” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/memento%20mori Phaneuf. “Artist Creates Victorian Mourning Dolls to Honor Death.” https://phaneuf.net/blog/artist-creates-victorian-mourning-dolls-to-honor-death#:~:text=Artist%20Flo%20Kane%2C%20of%20Gasport%2C%20New%20York%2C%20hosts,the%20replicas%20of%20babies%20and%20children%20mentioned%20above. Quinn, Shannon. “10 Strange Mourning Items From The Victorian Era.” https://listverse.com/2017/11/28/10-strange-mourning-items-from-the-victorian-era/ Werther and Gray. “The Era of the Beautiful Death.” https://www.wertherandgray.com/blogs/news/the-era-of-the-beautiful-death-victorian-mourning-practices Wikipedia. “Reborn doll.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reborn_doll Wikipedia. “Victorian mourning dolls.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_mourning_dolls Woodyard, Chris, editor. The Victorian Book of the Dead. Kestrel Publications, 2014. ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Although prosthetic limbs have existed since ancient times, the demand for them and, subsequently, the way in which they were designed and produced changed dramatically around the turn of the nineteenth century. I describe advancements in prostheses during the Victorian Era, and discuss ways in which wearers of artificial limbs were described in literature of the period (particularly by Charles Dickens). References Armfield, Julia. “Armed and Dangerous – Victorian Prosthetics (Part 2).” https://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/untoldlives/2013/10/armed-and-dangerous-victorian-prosthetics-part-2.html Armfield, Julia. “Without a Leg to Stand On – Victorian Prosthetics.” https://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/untoldlives/2013/10/without-a-leg-to-stand-on-victorian-prosthetics.html Dickens, Charles. Dombey & Son. http://www.online-literature.com/dickens/dombey/10/ Doctorow, Cory. “Victorian ‘rather sinister’ artificial arm and hand.” https://boingboing.net/2010/08/30/victorian-rather-sin.html Gavin, Adrienne E. “Dickens, Wegg, and Wooden Legs.” https://omf.ucsc.edu/london-1865/victorian-city/wooden-legs.html Hanger Clinic. “Prosthetics.” https://hangerclinic.com/prosthetics/ MacRae, Michael. “The Civil War and the Birth of the U.S Prosthetics Industry.” https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/the-civil-war-and-birth-of-us-prosthetics-industry Merriam-Webster. “Prosthesis.” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prosthesis Oatman-Stanford, Hunter. “War & Prosthetics: How Veterans Fought for the Perfect Artificial Limb.” https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/war-and-prosthetics/ Rinquist, Abraham. “10 Ancient Prosthetics.” https://listverse.com/2016/12/08/10-ancient-prosthetics/ “The Ballad of the Cork Leg.” https://cotyroneireland.com/poems/ballard-cork-leg.html Warne, Vanessa. “Artificial Leg.” https://www.jstor.org/stable/41220393 Wikipedia. “Catgut.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catgut ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

For a change of pace, I read “The City in the Sea” and “The Haunted Palace” by Edgar Allan Poe. ***** References Poe, Edgar Allan. “The City in the Sea.” https://poets.org/poem/city-sea Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Haunted Palace.” https://poets.org/poem/haunted-palace Wikipedia. “The City in the Sea.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_City_in_the_Sea#:~:text=%22%20The%20City%20in%20the%20Sea%20%22%20is,of%20Death%20using%20common%20elements%20from%20Gothic%20fiction. Wikipedia. “The Haunted Palace (poem).” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Haunted_Palace_(poem) ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Although taxidermy predated the Victorian Era, this practice reached the peak of its popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I discuss ways in which taxidermy became accessible to the public during the Victorian Era, and consider what it meant on a cultural and social level. ***** References Brown, Thomas. The Taxidermists Manual. https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.221209/page/n31/mode/2up Burgan, Rebecca. “Anthropomorphic Taxidermy: How Dead Rodents Became the Darlings of the Victorian Elite.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/anthropomorphic-taxidermy-how-dead-rodents-became-the-darlings-of-the-victorian-elite Cruikshank, Drew. “Victorian Taxidermy and the Peculiar Life of Walter Potter.” https://www.friendsofdalnavert.ca/blog/2020/7/12/victorian-taxidermy-and-the-peculiar-life-of-walter-potter Flint, David. “The Bizarre and Disturbing World of Victorian Taxidermy Hats.” https://reprobatepress.com/2021/10/15/the-bizarre-and-disturbing-world-of-victorian-taxidermy-hats/ Johnson, Ben. “The Great Exhibition 1851.” https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Great-Exhibition-of-1851/ Maiorano, Hannah. “The Victorian Naturalist and their Interest in Taxidermy.” https://mollybrown.org/victorian-naturalist-interest-taxidermy/ Rogers, Brooke. “The Art of Victorian Taxidermy.” https://www.museums.iastate.edu/virtual/blog/2020/07/30/the-art-of-victorian-taxidermy Taxidermy Hobbyist. “Victorian Taxidermy.” https://taxidermyhobbyist.com/history-of-taxidermy/victorian-taxidermy.html Wikipedia. “Thomas Brown (naturalist).” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Brown_(naturalist) Would, Alice. “The Curious Creatures of Victorian Taxidermy.” https://www.historytoday.com/miscellanies/curious-creatures-victorian-taxidermy Wright, Steve. “What is Taxidermy? – Everything you didn’t know.” https://taxidermy.blog/what-is-taxidermy/#:~:text=Steve%20Wright%20What%20is%20Taxidermy%3F%20Taxidermy%20is%20the,carefully%20modeling%20its%20features%20in%20a%20lifelike%20attitude. ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Punch Magazine was a British weekly that played a pivotal role in Western satire for over 150 years. I focus on the development of this publication in the 1840s & its influence during the Victorian Era, & also talk a bit about why I think humor & satire are important. ***** References Cooke, Simon. “Richard Doyle and the front cover of Punch.” https://victorianweb.org/art/design/books/cooke12.html Dictionary.com. “Punchinello.” https://www.dictionary.com/browse/punchinello Dryasdust, Smelfungus. “Treading on the Fairies’ Tales.” Punch, January 18, 1879. Internet Archive. “Punch 1841-1992.” https://archive.org/details/pub_punch Kennedy, Philip. “”How Punch Magazine Changed Everything.” https://illustrationchronicles.com/How-Punch-Magazine-Changed-Everything New World Encyclopedia. “Punch (magazine).” https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Punch_(magazine) “The Arsenic Waltz.” Punch, February 8, 1862. “‘What’s in a Name?’ indeed!” Punch, April 5, 1879. Wikipedia. “Le Charivari.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Charivari Wikipedia. “Punch (magazine).” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punch_(magazine) ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Art, and the pursuit of pleasure and beauty, were of the utmost importance among members of the Aesthetic Movement in the second half of the 19th century, such as Oscar Wilde and William Morris (to name a few). I explain how Aestheticism was a reaction to certain Victorian-Era ideals, discuss some of the biggest influences on the Aesthetes, and describe characteristics and examples of Aesthetic art and literature. ***** References “Aestheticism: The Art of Beauty.” https://exploringyourmind.com/aestheticism-the-art-of-beauty/#:~:text=Aestheticism%20was%20an%20artistic%20movement%20that%20arose%20against,freedom%20of%20expression%20against%20the%20restrictive%20Victorian%20conformity. Britannica. “Arts and Crafts movement.” https://www.britannica.com/art/Arts-and-Crafts-movement British Literature Wiki. “Aestheticism.” https://sites.udel.edu/britlitwiki/aestheticism/ British Literature Wiki. “The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.” https://sites.udel.edu/britlitwiki/the-pre-raphaelite-brotherhood/ De la Bedoyere, Camilla. Art Nouveau. London: Flame Tree, 2005. Print. Souter, Anna. “The Aesthetic Movement Overview and Analysis.” https://www.theartstory.org/movement/aesthetic-art/ Victoria and Albert Museum. “An introduction to the Aesthetic Movement.” https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/an-introduction-to-the-aesthetic-movement “Victorian Era Aestheticism Movement Definition.” http://victorian-era.org/victorian-era-aestheticism.html Wilde, Oscar. “The Decay of Lying: An Observation.” https://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/comm/steen/cogweb/Abstracts/Wilde_1889.html Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Harper & Row, 1989. Print. ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

We may (rightly) think of tuberculosis as a deadly disease, but many people saw it as much more during the 19th century. After a brief discussion of the disease itself, I explore ways in which TB was woven into Victorian-Era art and culture. ***** References Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre: An Autobiography. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1260/1260-h/1260-h.htm Clarke, Imogen. “Tuberculosis: A Fashionable Disease?” https://blog.sciencemuseum.org.uk/tuberculosis-a-fashionable-disease/ Crowell, Rachel. “How Tuberculosis Made Edgar Allan Poe Famous.” https://www.rewire.org/edgar-allan-poe/ Dickens, Charles. Nicholas Nickleby (Chapter 49). http://www.online-literature.com/dickens/nickleby/51/ Draper, Matthew. “The Tuberculosis Epidemic.” https://www.familyhistory.co.uk/the-tuberculosis-epidemic/ Ferro, Shaunacy. “The Anti-Spitting Campaigns Designed to Stop the Spread of Tuberculosis.” https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/561579/tuberculosis-anti-spitting-campaigns Knapp, Mary Frances. “‘Death in the Sick Room’ by Edvard Munch.” https://blog.sevenponds.com/soulful-expressions/death-in-the-sick-room-by-edvard-munch. Mullin, Emily. “How Tuberculosis Shaped Victorian Fashion.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-tuberculosis-shaped-victorian-fashion-180959029/ Ogden, Philippa. “Romanticizing Death: Art in the Age of Tuberculosis.” https://www.thecollector.com/tuberculosis-art/ Smith, Lauren. “Then vs. Now: What Happened to Consumption?” https://www.healthination.com/health/infections/then-vs-now-consumption/ Trista. “Tuberculosis Became the Victorian Standard of Beauty.” https://historycollection.com/tuberculosis-became-the-victorian-standard-of-beauty/ **Also, check out the Ye Olde Crime podcast here: https://www.yeoldecrimepodcast.com ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

I discuss the difference between imperialism & colonialism & some prominent examples of both throughout world history, then focus on how Britain became the “global policeman” during the Victorian Era. ***** Sources Burk, Kathleen. “Great Britain and the ‘Scramble for Africa’.” https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/great-britain-and-the-scramble-for-africa#:~:text=Professor%20Kathleen%20Burk%20The%20scramble%20for%20Africa%20in,her%20into%20repeated%20conflict%20with%20the%20French%20Empire. Coffee Bean, The. “The Victorian Era and the British Empire.” https://greencoffeehk.com/the-victorian-era-and-the-british-empire/ Historyplex. “Facts About Imperialism.” https://historyplex.com/facts-about-imperialism Longley, Robert. “What Is Imperialism? Definition and Historical Perspective.” https://www.thoughtco.com/imperialism-definition-4587402 Said, Edward W. Culture and Imperialism. New York: Vintage, 1993. Print. Tassell, Nige. “The Victorians and the British Empire: a brief guide and timeline.” https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/victorians-british-empire-brief-guide-timeline-expansion/ Verne, Jules. Round the World in Eighty Days. Translated by Henry Frith. Public Domain eBook. Victorian Era. “British Empire During Victorian Era.” http://victorian-era.org/british-empire-victorian-era.html Victorian School. “The British Empire.” http://www.victorianschool.co.uk/empire.html ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Tattooing may not be the first thing that comes to mind for many of us when we think of the Victorian Era, but I discuss how & why tattooing became popular among members of the working-class & elite alike in the U.K. & the U.S. during the 19th Century. ***** Sources Belden, Elisha. “The History of Christianity and Tattoo Culture.” https://www.tattoo.com/blog/history-christianity-tattoo-culture/ Black Widow Tattoo. “Tattoo Pioneers: Samuel O’Reilly.” https://www.widowtattoo.com/blog/tattoo-pioneers-samuel-oreilly Clark, Nick. “Sutherland Macdonald: Britain's first professional tattoo artist celebrated in new exhibition at the Museum of London.” https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/sutherland-macdonald-britain-s-first-professional-tattoo-artist-celebrated-in-new-exhibition-at-the-museum-of-london-a6804396.html Compass Rose Design. “Tattoo Culture in the Victorian Era.” https://www.compassrosedesign.com/blogs/blog/tattoos-victorians-and-class-lines Gallagher, Paul. “Tattoo You: Meet Victorian England’s First Tattoo Artist.” https://dangerousminds.net/comments/tattoo_you_meet_victorian_englands_first_tattoo_artist Shoemaker, Robert, & Zoe Alker. “How Tattoos Became Fashionable in Victorian England.” https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/tattoos-victorian-england-conversation/index.html Taylor, Emma. “Naughty Secrets, Full-Body Statements, Convict Codes– Tattoos In Victorian Times Were More Popular Than You Think!” https://www.sugarplumromance.com/history-of-tattoos/ Walton, Geri. “Tattooing: A Fad of the Late 19th Century.” https://www.geriwalton.com/tattooing-a-fad-of-the-late-nineteenth-century/ ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

In the second episode of my 2-part series on Victorian-Era mental hospitals, I examine key individuals in the asylum movement in the U.S. during this period, as well as the planning & construction of these institutions, “asylum tourism,” & how easily this system was abused. ***** Sources Bazar, Jennifer L., and Jeremy T. Burman. “Asylum tourism.” https://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/02/asylum-tourism Dix, Dorothea L. “Memorial to the Legislature of Massachusetts 1843.” https://college.cengage.com/history/ayers_primary_sources/dorothea_dix_speaks_insane_persons.htm Hakenson, Casey. “Why Could You Be Sent to an ‘Insane Asylum’ in 19th Century America?” http://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2021/8/8/why-could-you-be-sent-to-an-insane-asylum-in-19th-century-america Kelly, Debra. “What Really Went on Behind Closed Doors at a Victorian-Era Asylum.” https://www.grunge.com/141866/what-really-went-on-behind-closed-doors-at-a-victorian-era-asylum/ “Kirkbride Buildings.” http://www.kirkbridebuildings.com Kirkbride, Thomas Story. “On The Construction, Organization and General Arrangements of Hospitals For The Insane.” https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/organizations/state-institutions/kirkbride-thomas-story/ Markel, Howard. “Dorothea Dix’s tireless fight to end inhumane treatment for mental health patients.” https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/dorothea-dixs-tireless-fight-to-end-inhumane-treatment-for-mental-health-patients Moore, Kate. “Declared Insane for Speaking Up: The Dark American History of Silencing Women Through Psychiatry.” https://time.com/6074783/psychiatry-history-women-mental-health/ Ruffalo, Mark L. “The American Mental Asylum: A Remnant of History.” https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freud-fluoxetine/201807/the-american-mental-asylum-remnant-history “Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.” http://trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com/main/history.html ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

The construction of mental asylums, & the number of patients they housed, increased dramatically during the Victorian Era. In this episode, I look at some 19th-century legislation regarding the construction of asylums & the treatment of patients in the U.K., as well as some common practices in British asylums during this time. ***** Sources Dance, Caecilia. “A history of Bedlam, the world’s most notorious asylum.” https://www.danceshistoricalmiscellany.com/history-bedlam-worlds-notorious-asylum/ Historic England. “The Growth of the Asylum - a Parallel World.” https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/1832-1914/the-growth-of-the-asylum/ Mander, Joe. “A History of Mental Asylums.” http://beyondthepoint.co.uk/a-history-of-mental-asylums/ Masked AMHP, The. “A Stroll Down Memory Lane: The Lunatic Asylums Act 1853.” https://themaskedamhp.blogspot.com/2012/05/stroll-down-memory-lane-lunatic-asylums.html McBeath, VL. “Victorian Era Lunatic Asylums.” https://valmcbeath.com/victorian-era-lunatic-asylums/#.YhFAty08L4A Science Museum. “A Victorian Mental Asylum.” https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/medicine/victorian-mental-asylum Shepherd, Jade. “Treating Mental Illness in Victorian Britain.” https://activisthistory.com/2017/05/19/treating-mental-illness-in-victorian-britain/ Tuke, Samuel. Description of the Retreat, Chapter 5. https://medicine.yale.edu/psychiatry/education/residency/training/residentled/Samuel%20Tuke_102525_284_13689_v1.pdf Victorian Era. “Victorian Era Asylums.” https://victorian-era.org/victorian-era-asylums.html ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Surgery was a bloody and unsanitary business for much of the Victorian Era. I discuss some common practices of surgeons of the period, and describe the atmosphere in which they operated. ***** References Blazeski, Goran. “Robert Liston performed the only operation with a 300% mortality rate; His patient, his assistant and a spectator died.” https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/12/05/robert-liston-performed-the-only-operation-with-a-300-mortality-rate-his-patient-his-assistant-and-a-spectator-died/?safari=1 “Ether and Chloroform.” https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/ether-and-chloroform Fitzharris, Lindsey. The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine. Narrated by Ralph Lister. Audible, 2017. Audiobook. Hewitt, D.G. “19 Unbelievable and Gruesome Facts about 19th Century Surgery.” https://historycollection.com/19-unbelievable-and-gruesome-facts-about-19th-century-surgery/11/ “John Snow.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Snow Mayo Clinic. “MRSA infection.” https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mrsa/symptoms-causes/syc-20375336. McNamara, Alexander. “Joseph Lister and the grim reality of Victorian surgery.” https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/joseph-lister-and-the-grim-reality-of-victorian-surgery/ Merryweather, Cheish. “10 Gruesome And Shocking Facts About Victorian Surgery.” https://listverse.com/2019/01/15/10-gruesome-and-shocking-facts-about-victorian-surgery/ Royal College of Surgeons of England. “History of the RCS.” https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/about-the-rcs/history-of-the-rcs/ Steampunk Tribune. “Medical doctors in the Victorian Era.” https://steampunktribune.com/medical-doctors-in-victorian-era/ Zhang, Sarah. “The Gruesome, Bloody World of Victorian Surgery.” https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/10/the-gruesome-bloody-world-of-victorian-surgery/543552/ ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Victorian-Era holiday cards featured a variety of memorable themes, many of which we might consider dark and disturbing today. However, as I explain in this episode, the tone of these cards becomes more understandable when you consider the fact that Christmas cards were a new concept at the time and the social context in which many Victorians lived. ***** References Alvar, Oliver G. “The Crazy Reason Why There Are Dead Birds On Victorian Christmas Cards.” https://culturacolectiva.com/design/victorian-christmas-cards-weird-dead-birds Baghsaw, Marcus. “Origins of the Victorian Christmas card.” https://brightonmuseums.org.uk/discover/2018/11/23/origins-of-the-victorian-christmas-card/#! Bar, Sarune. “57 Victorian Christmas Cards That Are As Creepy As Those Times Themselves.” https://www.boredpanda.com/creepy-victorian-vintage-christmas-cards/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic Kruse, Colton. “The History of Creepy Victorian Christmas Cards.” https://www.ripleys.com/weird-news/creepy-victorian-christmas-cards/ Ponti, Crystal. “Some of the Earliest Christmas Cards Were Morbid and Creepy.” https://www.history.com/news/victorian-christmas-cards Sayers, Karen A. “The changing styles of Christmas cards: from the Victorian age to the early 20th century.” https://leedsunilibrary.wordpress.com/2021/12/15/the-changing-styles-of-christmas-cards-from-the-victorian-age-to-the-early-20th-century/ Victorian Era. “Victorian Christmas Cards – Wishing Christmas In Its Original Way.” http://victorian-era.org/victorian-christmas-cards-wishing-christmas-original-way.html ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate this podcast on Spotify, or leave a review on Apple Podcasts, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

This episode contains a discussion of drug manufacturing & use during the Victorian Era. Listener discretion is strongly recommended. ***** Victorian-Era pharmacies were groundbreaking, in that they provided the general public with easy access to health care for the first time. I explain how these establishments came about & how the services offered at Victorian pharmacies differed from those offered by physicians, & also discuss some drugs that were commonly used during this time. ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners! ***** References “Cigares de Joy.” https://thequackdoctor.com/index.php/cigares-de-joy/ Cock-Starkey, Claire. “The Lure of Laudanum, the Victorians' Favorite Drug.” https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/89268/lure-laudanum-victorians-favorite-drug Crane, Louise. “Drugs in Victorian Britain.” https://wellcomecollection.org/articles/W87wthIAACQizfap Diniejko, Andrzej. “Victorian Drug Use.” https://victorianweb.org/science/addiction/addiction2.html “Magee's Coca Wine.” https://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2011/06/magees-coca-wine.html “Medical doctors in the Victorian Era.” https://steampunktribune.com/medical-doctors-in-victorian-era/ “Medicine in the 18th century.” https://www.britannica.com/science/history-of-medicine/Medicine-in-the-18th-century O’Neill, Therese, & Scott Beggs. “25 Terrifying 18th Century Remedies for What Ails You.” https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/65413/15-terrifying-18th-century-remedies-what-ails-you “Pharmacy Act 1868.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmacy_Act_1868 Staci, Kristen. “What Is An Apothecary? A Quick History Of Organic Pharmacies.” https://www.healthworkscollective.com/what-is-an-apothecary-a-quick-history-of-organic-pharmacies/ Trickey, Erick. “Inside the Story of America’s 19th-Century Opiate Addiction.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/inside-story-americas-19th-century-opiate-addiction-180967673/ Waite, Kathryn. “Victorian Medicine.” https://simplehistory.co.uk/victorian-medicine/ Williams, Lana. “Apothecaries and Medicine in the Victorian Era.” https://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/2015/01/apothecaries-and-medicine-in-victorian.html

Science fiction is not a genre many of us associate with the Victorian Era. I explain why I think this is a big mistake, and look at some ways in which Victorian-Era writers like H.G. Wells & Jules Verne continue to inspire contemporary sci-fi writers. ***** Email: thevictorianvarietyshow@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners! Also, I’m a fan of Dancing Among the Remains, a podcast by the Twisted Libra! You can check out the latest episode of her podcast here: https://anchor.fm/twistedlibra/episodes/Vamping-Out-Part-2-e1a5083 ***** References Evans, Arthur B. “Jules Verne.” https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jules-Verne Fox, Essie. “The Victorians and Science Fiction…” https://virtualvictorian.blogspot.com/2011/06/victorians-and-science-fiction.html Karp, Jared. “The 19th-Century Roots of Science Fiction.” https://storiusmag.com/the-19th-century-roots-of-science-fiction-d14ef75ddd61 Keckley, Nathan. “Monsters and Machines: Science Fiction in the Victorian Era.” https://hunterhousemuseum1894.wordpress.com/2017/09/08/ “Steam Powered Victorian Era Robots Failed Miserably But Inspired Science Fiction Stories.” https://racingnelliebly.com/weirdscience/steam-powered-victorian-era-robots-failed-inspired-sci-fi/ “Steampunk.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk “The War of the Worlds (1938 radio drama).” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_(1938_radio_drama)#:~:text=Orson%20Welles%20tells%20reporters%20that%20no%20one%20connected,on%20the%20Air%20%2011%20more%20rows%20 Wells, H.G. The War of the Worlds. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/36/36-h/36-h.htm