If you are eagerly awaiting the return of the PBS series Victoria this weekend, you’ll definitely want to take a look at Special Collections’ new small exhibit! The Personal and Public Life of Queen Victoria showcases original documents from our Victorian Collection which mark her reign and public service as queen of the United Kingdom, …
Special Collections has just digitized a set of books of games from Victorian England. From charades and riddles to group party games and homemade toys, these books illustrate the types of home-based entertainment which were popular among children and adults in the 19th century. Find and try a game your ancestor might have played, or …
Before the Victorian period, leisure time (and the means to pursue recreation) was largely something only the upper classes could afford. By the mid-nineteenth century, however, the middle class was able to pursue recreation — and as a group, they wanted their leisure activities to be moral, respectable, and productive. The Victorian middle class was …
Victorian women weren’t allowed to vote, and in fact, they were often discouraged from attending public meetings, so they had to find creative ways to influence public policy and advance social causes. One method was organizing a charity bazaar, or “fancy fair,” which sold handicrafts and other items to raise money for a popular cause …
Here in Provo, Utah, people are gearing up for the solar eclipse which will be visible in our area on August 21. To add to the festivities, we’ve pulled out a few books (both scientific and literary) about eclipses of past centuries. This small pamphlet was published by astronomer Johann Erich Müller in Greifswald, Germany, …
In honor of International Women’s Day, today’s blog post features the work of a Victorian woman printer, Emily Faithfull, and her imprint, the Victoria Press. Faithfull was a member of the Society for the Promotion of the Employment of Women, a mid-Victorian social organization which hoped to improve working conditions and employment opportunities for women. …
150 years ago today, a young Victorian housewife passed away just eight days after giving birth to her fourth child. Given mortality rates in 19th century England, her death might have been just another statistic, but this woman has come to represent all things domestic in the Victorian era. Isabella Mayson would become a household …
The HBLL has recently acquired several databases with primary source content related to British and world history. The database links are live and discoverable on the library’s A-Z database list, and they complement Special Collection holdings: Travel Writing, Spectacle and World History Contains hundreds of accounts by women of their travels across the globe from …
There was much interest in spiritualism and occultism in 19th century Great Britain (and in the United States as well). To get in the Halloween “spirit,” we’ve found a few examples of books on spooks, ghosts, and other supernatural beings from the Victorian and J.F.C. Harrison collections to share: Catherine Crowe, The Night Side of …
We’ve featured some of Special Collections’ memorabilia from Queen Victoria’s 1838 coronation previously on this website, but we’ve recently acquired some spectacular items and want to share! Our first featured item is Peter Parley’s visit to London, during the coronation of Queen Victoria is an 1839 children’s book recounting the coronation as well as the …