Victorian Pharmacy (2010)

In a unique experiment, historian Ruth Goodman, Professor Nick Barber and PhD student Tom Quick are recreating an authentic 19th-century pharmacy. Victorian pharmacies started a consumer revolution that brought healthcare, medical science, family remedies and traditional folklore to every main street. Ruth, Nick and Tom take on the challenges of the 1850s and 60s, a time when overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions had reached their peak, leading to unprecedented outbreaks of disease. 'Cure all' medicines that promised to cure virtually everything were all the rage, and the team make their own out of rhubarb, licquorice, soap and syrup. Tom attempts to emulate an ambitious Victorian publicity stunt by building his very own dog-powered mortar and pestle, but will it work?

Currently airing on TVO (Previously aired on BBC Two)

Episode 1: The Victorian pharmacy opens its doors in 1837, at the height of the industrial revolution. Overcrowding, poor sanitation and poverty left many people vulnerable to disease, but Victorian medicine had only the haziest of ideas about what caused illness or how to treat it. Many of the cures the new Barber & Goodman Pharmacy will sell are based on traditional beliefs and remedies.

Episode 2: The team take on the challenges of the 1850s and 60s, a time when overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions had reached their peak, leading to unprecedented outbreaks of disease. "Cure all" medicines were all the rage and the team make their own out of rhubarb, licorice, soap and syrup. They also venture into the uncertain world of electrotherapy and make their own disinfectant by extracting carbolic acid from coal tar.

Episode 3: The pharmacy enters a period of new invention and new laws. Narcotics were freely available across the counter throughout the Victorian era. Arsenic was the most common poison and was everywhere in the Victorian home - in wallpaper, candles, fabrics and even sweets.

Episode 4: Tom branches out into photography and dentistry using the latest technology, such as the foot-pedal dental drill. Ruth makes condoms out of sheep's intestines. Nick learns how to make the Victorian version of aspirin - producing a cure for warts and corns along the way. And for those customers who like a little pampering, the team turn their hands to making their very own brand of perfume.

As they shut up shop for the last time, the team reflect on a revolution in public healthcare that put a chemist's shop in every town in the country.

[You can watch all 4 episodes on Youtube below]

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Weddings From the Past - An Index

Index to image galleries & articles of weddings from years gone by...

"Elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress." ~ Coco Chanel

I've been fascinated with period fashion of late and discovered some great websites with dresses from various eras that have me longing for the enchanting styles of yesteryear. While perusing and ooh-ing and ahh-ing, it dawned on me that I could spend hours focused on wedding fashion alone, so I've planned a few posts which will highlight the wonderful dresses worn on that special day, whether they be museum pieces, vintage or vintage-inspired! Hope you enjoy walking down memory lane with me!

[I'll be adding to this index as I continue to update.]

Victorian Wedding Gallery

An Edwardian-themed Wedding

Rossetti Costumes & Bridal Gowns


Timeless Vixen Vintage


Wedding outfits for Jane Eyre (2011)

Paintings featured in top banner:
"Call to Arms" - Edmund Blair Leighton
"Signing the Register" - Edmund Blair Leighton
"The Wedding Morning" - John Henry Frederick Bacon
"Pamela is Married" - Joseph Highmore
"None but the Brave Deserve the Fair" - James Shaw Crompton

Victorian Wedding Gallery

I discovered some breathtakingly beautiful wedding gowns from the Victorian era as I was browsing through the collections of period costumes in various museums online. I was surprised at some of the colours used in days gone by and one of my favourite dresses below is actually a brown wedding outfit from The Met in 1897 (shown at bottom). Perhaps it caught my eye for sentimental reasons since our local paper wrote of my grandmother's wedding in 1937, "she looked charming in a costume of mahogany brown with matching accessories, and a corsage of Talisman roses."

Hope you enjoy this gallery as much as I did admiring them as I collected the images!

Imperial Victorian Wedding Gown
modelled on 1837 dress found at Frocks of Ages

1880 The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hand-embroidered bustle wedding dress, c.1881
Vintage Textile

Wedding gown worn by Louise Hemingway of Baltimore in 1883
VintageTextile

Wedding footwear (1870, 1890, 1895)
Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Sources: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Victoria & Albert Museum, Bowes Museum, Mint Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Vintage Textile, Frocks of Ages

~ Dresses shown in order from 1837 to 1900 ~

History of Victorian Weddings

Early Victorian (1837-1867)
Prior to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), women's wedding dresses traditionally followed the fashionable silhouettes and colors, including white, of their day. The white of choice for most brides was not a pure white, however, rather a cream or ivory color which was more flattering to the complexion.
Queen Victoria's marriage in February 1840 is often cited as the marker which began our white wedding dress tradition. Her choice of a plain white satin dress and orange blossom wreath headdress with lace veil was shockingly plain by royal standards and a significant departure from the royal tradition of a dress embroidered with silver and encrusted with jewels, a jeweled crown, and velvet robes trimmed with fur.
The Queen's daughter, Princess Alice, and the Princess of Wales were also married in white dresses with orange blossom wreath headdresses in 1858 and 1863 respectively, continuing the precedent set by Victoria. Royal weddings have always influenced the wedding ceremonies of non-royal brides and grooms, the brides often imitating the dress of princesses.

Late Victorian (1868-1901)
Weddings were celebrated during the morning hours until changes in church law in 1886 allowed afternoon weddings. In keeping with Victorian society's modest propriety for daytime dress, necklines were high and sleeves long. Wedding dresses of many socially prominent brides were altered for evening attire, or a second bodice was made for evening-one with a lower neckline and no sleeves.
Wedding dress styles generally followed the current fashionable daytime styles and were worn with either a bonnet or veil. It was not until the end of the 1860s, however, that veils were worn over the face.
Dresses could be white or colored. Socially prominent brides wore white, while those of the working or artisan classes wore a new 'best' dress which was usually a more practical color than white, and worn for more than one occasion. When in mourning, brides could wear a black, gray, or lavender color dress.
At afternoon weddings, many brides chose to get married in their going-away dresses, which were often practical traveling suits. [source: Ohio State University]

Back to WEDDINGS FROM THE PAST

Antique Jewellery - Gallery #1

Ahh, blame it on Downton Abbey again, as I've now become distracted with the jewellery of the Edwardian era (and earlier). I wonder if the popularity of the ITV series will see a resurgence of antique jewellery and fashions in the retail sector. One can only hope! I recall during my teen years, Victorian fashion was all the rage and I could walk into almost any store and find blouses of lace that took me back in time!

I found this choker (similar to the one worn by Lady Mary) advertised with the droll description "Victorian Regency Civil War Edwardian Choker" - covering all their bases I see! The reproduction necklace sells for $24 on auctiondose.com.

Some of the jewellery worn by the ladies of Downton

Here are just a few examples of antique jewellery (real & reproduction) found online. I've not even explored etsy yet!

Faux pearl choker (repro - $32)

Victorian cameo brooch (repro - $10)

Victorian cameo pendant (repro - $10)

Victorian cameo oval pendant (repro - $12)


* * * * * * * * * *

The following items were found at The Three Graces
(The site sells rare antique jewelry, fine period and estate jewelry
and gives great background information on each piece)


What about a pair of cufflinks for Lord Crawley's collection?

Anglo-Indian cufflinks (circa 1900 - $1885)


Peridot Pearl Necklace (circa 1910 - $2350)

Antique Diamond Ring (circa 1910 - $2750)

Edwardian Pearl & Amethyst Pendant (circa 1900 - $1450)

Carved Pearl, Sapphire, Moonstone Pendant (circa 1900 - $3950)

Butterfly pendant (2-sided) (circa 1900, sale pending)

Ruby & Diamond Bracelet (circa 1900 - $1850)

Hand Painted Porcelain Cherub Pendant (circa 1900 - $1475)

Victorian Cherub Fringe Earrings (circa 1870 - $5450)

19th Century French Cameo Drop Earrings (circa 1860 - $2875)

Georgian Diamond Drop Earrings (circa 1790-1800, $9850)

Multi Colored Brooch & Pendant (circa 1830 - $1450)

Georgian Sévigné Pendant Brooch (circa 1750 - $4250)

Georgian Cameo Brooch & Earrings (circa 1830 - $7450)

Early Diamond Baroque Pendant (circa 1680-1720, $8250)

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