Homes and Décor of the Victorian Upper-Middle Class
“For, in the Veneering establishment, from the hall-chairs with the new coat of arms, to the grand pianoforte with the new action, and upstairs again to the new fire-escape, all things were in a state of high varnish and polish” (Dickens 17).
The homes of upper-middle class Victorians were as extravagant as their money would afford, inside and out. In a home where one hoped to host gatherings, parties, and the like, the outside appearance spoke a bit of prestige, and it was important to make a show of as much ‘stuff’ as possible on the inside. The decorations and furniture served as symbols of status and were a means of showing off—the more expensive everything looked, the better the impression (Margetston 78).
Images and photographs of upper-middle class homes portray distinct likenesses to the fashions of high society dwellings. The upper-middle classes emulated high society, projecting their wealth to the furthest extent possible. Inside Aristocratic homes, parrots in cages were sometimes found, along with magnificent ceilings, vaulted and carved, and walls covered by fantastic paintings and “antlered heads of many a noble stag” (43, 48-49). Beautiful chandeliers hung from the ceilings, and a piano was nearby, along with pleated lampshades relished with bows near shelves of books, ornaments, and souvenirs. Chairs and sofas were found covered in chintz, family photographs were framed in silver and velvet, and there were numerous small tables with “tortured legs” (51). Many of these styles were mimicked on smaller levels in upper-middle class homes as families such as the Veneerings strove to “show off” their status and possessions.
The dinner table was one of the ...
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...tures a museum in Michigan, the exhibits form a great example of what the typical Victorian home looked like.
* Take a look at the Piccadilly Mansions in London, an outside picture of luxurious living.
* The Veneerings live near the Podsnaps in Our Mutual Friend. This London map gives a clear suggestion of approximately where these families would have lived.
* In Our Mutual Friend, the Podsnaps live near the Veneerings in Portman Square (Dickens 134). Portman Square can be viewed here, along with other such neighborhoods in London.
Works Cited
Dickens, Charles. Our Mutual Friend. New York: Penguin Books Inc. 1997.
Margetston, Stella. Victorian High Society. New York, New York: Holmes and Meier Publishers, Inc. 1980.
Roberts, Adam C. Victorian Culture and Society: The Essential Glossary. New York. Oxford University Press Inc. 2003.
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Swarthmoor Hall and the Lifestyle of a Wealthy Country Gentry Family in the Early 17th Century
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Furneaux, Holly. "Victorian Sexualities." Literature Compass. Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 12 Oct. 2011. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
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The Public Culture of the Victorian Middle Class. Ritual and Authority in the English Industrial
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Vicinus, Martha, ed. A Widening Sphere: Changing Roles of Victorian Women. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1977 Woloch, Nancy. Women and the American Experience. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2000
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