The Victorian era The Victorian era or period of time was between the years 1837 to 1901 when Queen Victoria ruled Britain In the United States and Canada many changes took place during this time Many people immigrated to North America to start new lives People moved into cities to work in the factories Some people became very wealthy and had beautifully decorated homes The word Victorian stood for fancy homes fancy furniture fancy clothes and new ways to travel It also meant better lives for children 4
Victoria and Albert Queen Victoria married her German cousin Prince Albert in 1840 Victoria gave birth to nine children She and Albert loved their children and gave them a lot of attention The couple was very popular around the world and people everywhere imitated the things they did For example Prince Albert brought the custom of decorating Christmas trees from Germany to England People in North America soon started the custom as well see pages 22 23 The picture on the left shows Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on horseback Below is their wedding day They were married for 21 years until Albert died in 1861 Victoria then moved into her castle in Scotland and did not see visitors after that She died in 1901 at the age of 82 Her birthday is celebrated as a holiday in Canada each May 5
Fancy homes In North America people built Victorian-style homes because it made them feel rich and successful Even the settlers who lived in the new towns of the West built Victorian homes Living in a Victorian home made life in a new place seem more like the old way of life people left behind Some Victorian homes were small but most were two or three stories high Houses were built of brick wood or stone Victorian homes were very fancy both on the outside and inside They looked like dollhouses People paid a great deal of attention to detail when they built them Some were painted in several colors People still live in the Victorian homes built long ago and the Victorian style is popular for new homes being built today A porch is a sheltered area on the outside of a home A wraparound porch surrounds part of a home wraparound porches A gable is a triangular decoration over a window or door This two-story Victorian home was built of brick It is made up of many shapes Find four or more shapes used The home has wraparound porches turrets and gables A turret is a small tower This house has two turrets 6
Victorian homes that are painted in three or more colors are called painted ladies Name the colors used on the homes below and on the home on the right Some Victorian homes have steep pointed roofs Some Victorian homes have one or more turrets on their steep pointed roofs How many turrets can you count on these two pages Victorian homes often have steep roofs with many gables facing in different directions How many gables can you see on this home Some Victorian homes have stained-glass windows like this one Stained glass is colored glass with designs on it This home is called the Wedding Cake House It is covered in trim called gingerbread trim How is this home like a cake 7
