Top 10 Creepy Aspects of Victorian Life

10. Vignettes

The Victorian high class, and later the middle class, did not have televisions, thus they kept themselves amused. Friends and relatives would dress up in extravagant costumes and pose for photos as one of the most common types of amusement. This may seem innocent, but try to picture your grandmother posing on a table in the living room while everyone applauds while she's dressed as a Greek wood nymph. No. Not at all. In actuality, the concept is spooky. However, this was very typical and enjoyable for the Victorians.

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9.Poorhouses

Government-run housing for the needy, elderly, and mentally sick was known as a "poorhouse." They were frequently filthy and overflowing with the undesirable members of society. Poverty was therefore viewed as disgraceful since it resulted from a lack of the moral characteristic of grit. It was usual for entire families to live together with other families in the communal setting of the poorhouses, and many of the residents were expected to work to help pay for their board. The life of a poorhouse inmate wasn't all that bad in the Victorian era.

8.Pea-Soupers

In the Victorian era, London was renowned for its pea-soupers, which were dense fogs that made it difficult to see. Fogs from the River Thames and smoke from the coal fires, which were an integral part of Victorian life, combined to generate the pea-soupers. Intriguingly, King Edward I banned coal fires in 1306 due to the fog in London, which had been plagued by these pea-soupers for decades. The Clean Air Act, which established smog-free zones, was passed by the government in response to the 12,000 deaths of Londoners caused by pollution in 1952. The heavy pollution substantially contributes to the Victorian mood (in literature and contemporary film), and this unsettling setting made it conceivable for individuals like Jack the Ripper to commit crimes.

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7.Food

Even at its best, English cuisine can be unsettling, but this was especially true during the Victorian era (disclaimer: England currently produces some of the finest food in the world). Virtually every part of an animal was consumed by the Victorians, who adored offal. If you're a foodie like me, this isn't altogether creepy, but most people find the concept of eating their brains and hearts disgusting. Turtle soup was another well-known Victorian delicacy. The green jello-like fat from the turtle was treasured above all else because it was used to flavour the soup cooked from the animal's long-boil stringy flesh. Turtles are no longer commonly consumed due to their declining numbers, but you may still buy them in some states in America where they are still abundant.

6.Surgery

You were extremely fortunate to have a good doctor and a clean operating room in Victorian times, when one in four surgical patients perished following the procedure. There was no anaesthetic, no postoperative pain medication, and no electric technology to speed up an operation. Not only was surgery in the Victorian era weird, it was also horrifying. Here is an explanation of one procedure:

As two of Liston's surgical assistants, or "dressers," take a firm hold of the writhing patient's shoulders, the assembled group of apprehensive medical students diligently check their pocket clocks.

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The fully aware man stares in complete terror at the assortment of knives, saws, and needles that lie beside him. He is already in excruciating pain from the severely broken leg he sustained when he fell between a train and the platform at nearby King's Cross. Liston quickly makes his incision by squeezing his left palm across the patient's leg while picking up his preferred knife. To stop the bleeding, a dresser tightens a tourniquet right away. Liston puts the knife away and grabs the saw as the patient cries out in anguish.

Liston starts to cut while an assistant reveals the bone. The apprehensive student who volunteered to support the damaged leg's whole weight suddenly realises that he is doing so. He shudders and drops the severed leg into a box of sawdust that is already there.

5.Gothic Novel

How could the gothic novel, a literary form that blends aspects of horror and romance, be left off of such a list? Such masterworks of fear as Dracula and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were produced during the Victorian era. Edgar Allen Poe, an American, participated in the trend by creating some of the best Gothic literature of the age. People were easily frightened by the Victorians, and they did so in opulent fashion. These works continue to serve as the inspiration for a lot of contemporary horror, and their ability to thrill remains unabated.

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5.Jack the Ripper

The abomination known as Jack the Ripper haunted London in the late Victorian century. The Ripper eventually killed five or more East End prostitutes while using the pea-soupers as a pretext. Because of the brutality of the attacks and the police's failure to apprehend the murderer, newspapers, whose readership had been increasing during this time, heaped widespread and enduring renown on the murderer. The killings' stories are a mix of true historical study, mythology, and pseudohistory because the identity of the killer has never been established. Numerous writers, historians, and amateur sleuths have put forth suggestions regarding the killer's identity and the identities of his victims.

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3.Freak Show

A freak show is an exhibition of rarities, "freaks of nature" (such as persons who are unusually tall or short, or who have both male and female secondary sexual features), as well as performances that are meant to shock the audience. The Elephant Man is probably the freak show's most well-known performer (pictured above). Englishman Joseph Carey Merrick, who lived from 5 August 1862 to 11 April 1890, was dubbed "The Elephant Man" because of the physical anomaly that caused him to look the way he did. He spent the majority of his life wearing a mask because of the overgrowth and distortion on his left side.

There is no denying that one of the scariest features of Victorian culture at the time was the freak shows.

2.Memento Mori

The Latin phrase "Memento mori" means "Remember you shall die." Photography was very new and quite expensive during the Victorian era. When a loved one passed away, their family members would occasionally have a photograph taken of the corpse in a pose, frequently alongside other family members. Most Victorians would never be photographed again; this was the lone occasion.

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Sometimes the appearance of life was increased in these post-mortem images by propping the subject's eyes open or by adding painted pupils to the photographic print.and the corpse's cheeks are sometimes given a rosy tinge in early pictures. Adults posed more frequently in chairs or even braced on frames with unique designs. Additionally, flowers were a typical prop in any post-mortem pictures. The fact that her parents are slightly blurred in the above image because of the long exposure time but the girl is completely in focus due to her deathly stillness makes the girl's death significantly more clear (and disturbing).

1.Queen Victoria

The Victorian era is named after Queen Victoria, who was, quite plainly, bloody creepy, so she had to be at the top of this list. When her husband Albert passed away in 1861, she entered a state of mourning, wearing a black dress up until her own death many years later, and she expected her country to follow suit. In the years that followed, she rarely stepped foot in London and shunned public appearances. Her melancholy reign spread a black pall across Britain, and her influence was so great that the entire period was rife with unease due to her seclusion, earning her the nickname "Widow of Windsor." Ironically, London was draped with purple and white when Victoria passed away because she detested black funerals so much.

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