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The Great 19th Century

19th Century American General Resources - 19th Century American Industrialization/The Gilded Age - 19th Century American Immigrants - America's Victorian Age  

The Civil War

American Civil War General resources

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HarpWeek: Explore History __ Harpers Weekly was 19th century America's leading illustrated newspaper. Here you will find electronic access from 1857 - 1912, which are years almost bracketing America's Victorian Age. - illustrated - From harpweek.com - http://harpweek.com/Default.asp

High Victorian Gothic in America __ You will find a wonderful gallery of Victorian Gothic structures in the US. - illustrated - From Boston College - http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/hvgothic.html 

Miss Vanderbilt's Trousseau, 1877 __ Fashion article about Miss Vanderbilt's elegant trousseau and wedding gown - From victoriana.com - http://www.victoriana.com/library/harpers/vanderbilt.html  

Morbid Outlook - Victorian Mourning Garb __ Learn about mourning and mourning garb in Victorian America. "Today the word “Victorian” refers to a certain highly ornate style of architecture, furnishings, and fashion. It is a style that most people of the Gothic persuasion look at with romantic longing. The 19th century cemeteries that cover most of America today are the most visible and recognizable symbol of this bygone era. But the one element of Victorian style that continues to fascinate us is the mourning fashions of the day." - illustrated - From morbidoutlook.com - http://www.morbidoutlook.com/fashion/historical/2001_03_victorianmourn.html 

Panoramic maps Victorian America comes alive... __ "Victorian America comes alive in this fascinating -- and wonderfully interactive -- series of 1,500 sketches." - illustrated - From oldhouseweb.com - http://www.oldhouseweb.com/stories/Detailed/964.shtml 

Some Victorian Women __ "Do you think that being a Victorian lady was all tea parties, blank stares, and fancy dresses? Here are some women who got off the sofa, and did something for themselves and humanity while retaining their dignity as ladies. Read on, and you will see that the twentieth century was not the first to produce many active, independent, and smart women." Excellent series of brief biographies. - From VELL - http://www.flinc.net/vell/articlewomen.htm  

Swiss-Inspired Architecture in Victorian America __ "In general, the lines of Swiss homes were very horizontal, with expansive roofs that were designed to shed snow. Porches were frequently employed. As mentioned before, the amount of ornamentation varied from very little to almost comically crowded." A brief look. - illustrated - From vintagedesigns.com - http://www.vintagedesigns.com/architecture/swiss/sem/  
 
Victorian Age __ Learn about Victorian architecture in the U.S. "Although "Victorian" is sometimes used today to describe attitudes which are stuffy or prudish, in architecture the term conveys romance, whimsy, invention and imagination." Much of the material is based on Victorian architecture in Doylestown, Pa. - illustrated - From Jan Dickler and John Hauser - http://imls-train.cis.drexel.edu/bucks2/victorian_age.htm 

Victorian Architecture __ "The Charastic American Carpenter Gothic style is characterized by steep gables and pointed windows. Often the construction was vertical "Board and Batton" which was considered particularly fitting for a Gothic cottage because of its upward tendency. In a wider sense we now apply the term "American Gothic" to all homes of typically Victorian design. These homes mark the real beginning of modern architecture." Not much more I can say. - illustrated - from victorianstation.com - http://www.victorianstation.com/vicarch.html

The Victorian Context of the Social Gospel __ "The Problems of Industrializing Victorian America" You will find information about the clash between growing industrialization and the traditional values of the Victorian Era in America. - From Georgetown College - http://spider.georgetowncollege.edu/htallant/courses/his338/students/kpotter/vict.htm  

Victorian Dancing Etiquette __ "Lord Chesterfield, in his letters to his son, says: "Dancing is, in itself, a very trifling and silly thing: but it is one of those established follies to which people of sense are sometimes obliged to conform; and then they should be able to do it well." A guide to Victorian dance manners and the giving of balls. And I thought a high school prom was complicated! - From burrows.com - http://www.burrows.com/other/manners.html

19th Century German Immigration In Historical Context __ "German-Americans represent the largest group of immigrants arriving in the United States in all but three of the years between 1854 and 1894. Before the end of the century more than 5 million Germans had arrived..." An overview providing the reasons behind this movement. - From IUPUI University Library - http://www-lib.iupui.edu/kade/nameword/context.html 

American Immigrant Wall of Honor __ There is little information here, but it does allow you to do a search of your family name. I entered my last name only and found three three listings. - From wallofhonor.com - http://www.wallofhonor.com/  

How the Other Half Lives __ You may read the complete text of Jacob Riis's book entitled, How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York. It was first published in 1890 and its 25 chapters deal with the facts of tenement life, including starvation, illness, crowded living conditions, child labor, women's working conditions and more. - from Yale University - http://www.cis.yale.edu/amstud/inforev/riis/about.html 

Immigration in the 19th Century Context __ A general overview containing some controversial statements and history. It is an interesting read. - From University of Michigan - http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mcountry/ac39901919.htm  

Irish Immigrants in America during the 19th Century __ "Though life in Ireland was cruel, emigrating to America was not a joyful event...it was referred to as the American Wake for these people knew they would never see Ireland again. Those who pursued this path did so only because they new their future in Ireland would only be more poverty, disease, and English oppression." This essay provides a good overview. - From Hy Kinsella - http://www.kinsella.org/history/histira.htm   
 
Lower East Side Tenement Museum __ You will find several sections to this site including a virtual tour of the museum which is actually a restored apartment. There are materials for teachers and a housing safety quiz. - illustrated - From tenement.org - http://www.tenement.org/ 

Major streams of 19th Century Immigration __ Brief overview and figures. - From University of California, San Diego - http://weber.ucsd.edu/Depts/Ethnic/fac/rfrank/ES-1B/Immig19thC.html  

Roman Catholics and Immigration in Nineteenth-Century America __ "The story of Roman Catholicism in the nineteenth century IS the story of immigration. Until about 1845, the Roman Catholic population of the United States was a small minority of mostly English Catholics, who were often quite socially accomplished. But when several years of devastating potato famine led millions of Irish Catholics to flee to the United States in the mid 1840s, the face of American Catholicism began to change drastically and permanently." You can read the full tale here. - illustrated - From National Humanities Center - http://www.nhc.rtp.nc.us:8080/tserve/nineteen/nkeyinfo/nromcath.htm 

Victorian and Edwardian Photographs __ A good place to research historic fashion. You will find photos of women and children dressed in the Victorian/Edwardian style. - illustrated - From costumegallery.com - http://www.costumegallery.com/edward.htm

The Victorian Society in America __ "The Victorian Society In America is the only national non-profit organization committed to historic preservation, protection, understanding, education, and enjoyment of our nineteenth century heritage." You will find great photos, history, membership information, chapter locations, and fun stuff. - illustrated - From Victorian Society in America - http://www.victoriansociety.org/ 

Welcome to 19th Century Scientific American OnLine __ This site is a goldmine of information on scientific thought during the Victorian era. The site is the e-text editions of Scientific American from 1845-1859. - illustrated - From history.rochester.edu - http://www.history.rochester.edu/Scientific_American/  

What is a Gentleman? __ Learn what was expected of the Victorian "gentleman." High ideals indeed. - From victorianstation.com - http://www.victorianstation.com/gentle.html 
 

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