STRANGE TIMES
Strange Times offers a treasure trove of outlandish, funny, sometimes shocking stories from Victorian Era. Explore Victorian ideas, customs, holidays, clothing, architecture, art, women, men, businesses, leisure activities and more.
Belle Époque Influencer Caroline Otero Mastered Self Promotion
Belle Époque Influencer Caroline Otero Mastered Self Promotion
Only a few details from the life of Caroline Otero can be authenticated. In her 1927 autobiography, My Story, she Read More>...
Quirky Victorian Easter Cards Reveal Surprisingly Twisted Humor
Quirky Victorian Easter Cards Reveal Surprisingly Twisted Humor
Have you heard the one about the Victorian couple whose corsets were so tight they couldn’t laugh? Yes, much of Read More>...
Victorian Umbrella Defense Surpassed Perilous Hatpins
Victorian Umbrella Defense Surpassed Perilous Hatpins
As women ventured into the world without escorts, fashionable hatpins doubled as excellent weapons to discourage unwanted advances from men. Read More>...
Dangerous Victorian Hatpins Foiled Mashers Across America
Dangerous Victorian Hatpins Foiled Mashers Across America
The “New Woman” was emerging into public places—either alone or in groups. She was independent, brave and self-reliant. It was Read More>...
The Flying Zedoras Human Arrow Showcased Feminine Courage
The Flying Zedoras Human Arrow Showcased Feminine Courage
Like so many circus performers in the Victorian Era, the details from the life of the Flying Zedoras Human Arrow Read More>...
Early Female Conservationists Promoted Bird Friendly Fashions
Early Female Conservationists Promoted Bird Friendly Fashions
Despite fake news stories to the contrary, the magnitude of the later Victorian Era plume trade continued to escalate. By Read More>...
Feathered Victorian Hats Decimated Several Species
Feathered Victorian Hats Decimated Several Species
Feathered Victorian hats were gorgeous creations thanks to the millions of birds slaughtered in the name of fashion. Feathers had Read More>...
New Year 1900 Celebration Nearly Lost At Sea
New Year 1900 Celebration Nearly Lost At Sea
December 31, 1899. The passenger steamer SS Warrimoo was mid-Pacific heading for Australia from Vancouver. As the story goes, the Read More>...
Ten Victorian Christmas Gifts Made The Most Wanted List
Ten Victorian Christmas Gifts Made The Most Wanted List
Once upon a time presents were exchanged on New Years. But an 1848 engraving of the Royal Family gathered around Read More>...
Jules Chéret Chérettes Reflected New Female Freedoms
Jules Chéret Chérettes Reflected New Female Freedoms
Belle Époque graphic designer and illustrator Jules Chéret pioneered poster art in the mid- to late1800s when the need for Read More>...
Hollywood Cemetery Marigolds Enliven Day of the Dead Celebrations
Hollywood Cemetery Marigolds Enliven Day of the Dead Celebrations
Hollywood Cemetery marigolds not only enliven the Day of the Dead Celebrations, they bridge the gap between our worlds. Those Read More>...
Hawaiian Eruptions Inspired Volcano School Painters
Hawaiian Eruptions Inspired Volcano School Painters
The Mauna Loa and Kilauea volcanoes on the Big Island of Hawaii erupted throughout the 1880s and 1890s. People had Read More>...
Female Velocipede Racers Proved Their Pedal Power
Female Velocipede Racers Proved Their Pedal Power
On September 16, 2018 Denise Mueller-Korenek reached 183.932 miles per hour on the Bonneville Salt Flats, smashing a 23-year-old world Read More>...
Con Artist George Parker Sold Brooklyn Bridge And Famous Monuments
Con Artist George Parker Sold Brooklyn Bridge And Famous Monuments
Between fake news, fake products and fake identities, our world has no shortage of con artists. Many use versions of Read More>...
Victorian Botanical Painter Marianne North Travelled The World Alone Seeking Rare Plants
Victorian Botanical Painter Marianne North Travelled The World Alone Seeking Rare Plants
At a time when proper ladies did not travel unescorted, Marianne North (1830 to 1890) circumnavigated the globe solo. She Read More>...
