Publications | Down Survey | 2001 Issue Contents

Bringing the Victorians to Life
Madeleine McAllister

We all have an idea of what life was like in the late 19th century, based on books, novels, films, television series, visits to 'big houses' and school history lessons. An exhibition to commemorate the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 gave the museum an opportunity to tell the story of life in County Down at that time and to display many objects from the collection which had not been seen before.

We have given some idea of the work which happened 'behind the scenes' to set up the exhibition in the summer edition of the museum Newsletter. It has been gratifying to know that the exhibition has been so well received, and to hear that visitors have enjoyed seeing so many objects from our collection. In fact, all the objects on display are from the collection, apart from the camera, very kindly loaned by Dennis McMeekin of Anderson McMeekin Photography. Indeed, one of our biggest problems was deciding which of the large number of late Victorian objects to include and which to leave out.

As suggested by the title of the exhibition, the Victorian age was a time of great contrasts. We often have the idea of the Victorians as very serious, straight laced people, who were 'not amused' and who covered up table legs lest they offend. The Victorians were also very self-assured, enquiring people who made startling and far-reaching advances in all spheres of life. The rise of an identifiable middle class fuelled a consumerist boom, with concomitant changes in society generally. In the later years of the 19th century Ireland was still suffering the effects of the Famine, which led to agrarian unrest, agitation for Home Rule and, eventually, sweeping alterations to Land Law.

Victorian costume on display in the Museum's exhibition 'Hard Times, Great Expectations'

The Victorian age should then be more accurately seen as a time of immense change and innovation. The Victorians were great entrepreneurs, inventors, scientists, economists and law-makers. They accomplished incredible feats of engineering and architecture. They gave us works of literature, art and music, as well as the more prosaic novel; illustrated magazine and variety concert. We have them to thank for such everyday things as tinned food, disposable razor blades and flush toilets.

There was, of course, a downside to this, and many people endured lives of incredible hardship. Men, women and children worked long hours in factories for low wages. On the land, things were not much better, as famine recurred sporadically after 1850. In Ireland, many left the land to work in local mills, in the cities or emigrated.

To try to give a representation of all of life in the later Victorian age would have been impossible for us, not least because of the restrictions of space available. It was for this reason that we restricted the scope of the exhibition to the last forty or so years of Victoria's reign and the topics to those which were particularly relevant to or typical of life in County Down.

The introductory display of costume, accessories and photographs gives an idea of the huge range of personal bits and pieces available for the middle classes to buy, and thus display their new-found wealth. Photography, for example, was originally an expensive toy of the aristocracy, who photographed themselves at leisure, and their servants at work. As it became cheaper and more accessible, the middle classes took it up, and filled their homes with photographs of family and friends in elaborate frames and albums.

Children from the Ballymote Centre enjoy dressing up as Victorians at the Museum

The displays in the adjoining gallery are intended to show the diversity of life at the time. The contrast between life 'above and below stairs' in a middle class home are shown, as is the vast difference between the middle class home and a cottier's house. The differences, and similarities, of methods of dealing with civil unrest at home and expanding and consolidating the Empire abroad are examined. The introduction of compulsory education providing (at least) literate workers is examined in tandem with the expansion of industry and public works. The political world encompassed Westminster, Dublin, local politics, and Queen Victoria and the Empire itself. The increase in literacy and developments in the mass production of printed material resulted in an avalanche of newspapers, magazines, books and illustrated journals Among these was the Down Recorder, which was then, a now, vital for keeping up with current affairs.

There are, of course, many aspects of Victorian life which we have not covered. The evangelist missions an revival of religiosity, the role and status of womer childhood, technological and scientific advances an medicine and health care are only a few of the ver interesting subjects which we have had to omit. Howeve the range of themes presented should provide some insigl into the lives of the Victorians and the scope of the influence on us today.

Madeleine McAllister is Assistant Keeper of Collections Down County Museum.