Sunday, December 17, 2006

The Victorian Tea Room


According to a tea room brochure that was given with the menu at Tamara's Victorian Christmas Tea, the Victorian era officially began with the death of William IV and the coronation of Victorian in 1837. Because she reigned for so long at a time when Great Britain was particularly influential in the world, many of the customs and qualities of that time period continue to influence and interest people all over the world to this day. It was the time of Charles Dickens and his immensely popular novels: one of the most famous, "A Tale of Two Cities" begins, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. . ." and that was certainly an appropriate description of nineteenth-century England. It was the time of the Bronte sisters, the Brownings, and Thomas Hardy. In the United States, it was the time of Poe, Longfellow, Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Melville. It was the time of Clement Moore's "A Visit from Saint Nicolas" and the popularization of "Silent Night" (written and first performed in Oberndorf, Austria, in 1818). It was a time of industrial revolution, of immense wealth and abject poverty. It was a time of wild financial speculation and repressive social conditions. It was the time of furniture with skirts on it's legs.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for sharing. I feel like I was there having tea. These are some great pictures. I wonder if they one of those in Florida. I know my daughters would really enjoy that. My oldest absolutely loves all those eras of history, and knows the details to the way they dressed, etc.,

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for commenting on my blog post. I am always happy to hear from blog readers. Your words encourage and inspire me. I am glad you stopped by to share conversation, recipes, ideas, and thoughts on creating a welcoming home.