#Victorian Era

A Victorian Christmas card featuring a robin in a top hat and a robin in a bonnet. The text reads: ‘Happy returns. Christmas comes but once a year.’ History

Victorian Christmas Cards: Strange or Timeless?

It’s thanks to the Victorians that the tradition of sending Christmas cards exists. The very first commercial Christmas card was sent in 1843, and...

Jenna Burns 2 December 2025

John F. Francis, Dessert, 1872, Godel & Co., Bedford, NY, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Dessert by John F. Francis

The Dessert by John F. Francis is a masterpiece of still-life painting. Its colorful and elaborate composition reflects 19th-century American and...

James W Singer 28 October 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Flaming June by Sir Frederic Leighton

We have prepared a story about this truly warm painting that can leave you in flames…  Ladies and Gentlemen, Flaming June by Sir Frederic...

Joanna Kaszubowska 26 October 2025

James Tissot, The Gallery of HMS Calcutta (Portsmouth), 1876, Tate, London, UK Painting

James Tissot in 10 Paintings

James Tissot was a 19th-century French painter, mostly known for depicting the life of high society in London and Paris. Painting in mostly an...

Anastasia Manioudaki 29 September 2025

Artist Stories

Evelyn De Morgan, The Pre-Raphaelite Sister You May Not Know

Welcome to the work of Evelyn De Morgan. Jewel rich colors, gorgeously draped figures, and a feminist message—what’s not to like? But why is her...

Candy Bedworth 18 September 2025

Fashion

Get Inspired: Jewelry in Rossetti’s Paintings

Each piece of jewelry in Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s paintings worn by his models wasn’t invented but copied from actual accessories from the...

Bolor Jargalsaikhan 16 September 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Lady of Shalott by John William Waterhouse

Elaine, the white lady of Shalott, was portrayed in a painting by John William Waterhouse escaping a tower where she was only able to see the world...

Guest Author 12 September 2025

Erotica

The Victorians: An Unexpected World of Erotica and Pornography

The subject of erotica is vast. Even reduced to only the Victorian world of erotica, it’s a challenge to write about in the space of an article.

Sarah Mills 4 September 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Ophelia by John Everett Millais

Here she is, Ophelia from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, gracefully descending into a stream while collecting wildflowers. Overwhelmed by grief...

Zuzanna Stańska 31 August 2025

Harry Clarke, Its Figures Passed By Me from Edgar Allan Poe, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, George G. Harrap and Co., London, 1919. Public Domain Review. Detail. Literature

Beautiful and Scary: Illustrations for Poe’s Horror Stories by Harry Clarke

Harry Clarke was an Irish stained glass artist and book illustrator. He made notable works in both fields but somehow his stained glass works are a...

Marija Canjuga 22 August 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Railway Station by William Powell Frith

The Victorian Era was a period of great technological advances that redefined life in Britain. The Railway Station by William Powell Frith is an...

Edoardo Cesarino 21 August 2025

Artist Stories

Aubrey Beardsley: Sharp Blacks and Whites of the Victorian Era

Aubrey Beardsley was an extremely talented draughtsman of the Victorian era. As a young boy, he suffered from tuberculosis, yet decided to live his...

Magda Michalska 21 August 2025