In Queen Victoria's reign, England reigned as the world's undisputed superpower. London, its beating heart, pulsed with the energy of a thriving metropolis. Magnificent palaces and towering structures stood as a testament to the wealth amassed from a va…
In the late 19th century, England was known for its wealth, but not everyone shared in its prosperity. Even though it was one of the richest countries, many neighborhoods, especially in London, were very poor. Around 35 percent of Londoners lived in pov…
In the world of British innovation, there's a fascinating collection of ideas that, while incredibly creative, never quite made it into everyday life. These inventions, captured in pictures from the last century, reveal a time when people dared to dream…
During the 1950s, a distinct and trendy subculture emerged in Britain. Young men of this era embraced a revival of Edwardian fashion, a style that had faded away four decades earlier. These individuals were famously known as "Teddy Boys." Their distinctive …
Poverty often drives individuals to commit desperate acts out of necessity, like obtaining food, clothing, and sustenance. In their desperation, they may act recklessly. During the Edwardian era in North Shields, England, women were frequently apprehended f…
Imagine stepping into the past, a journey to 19th-century England. On canvas, a lone cow stands in the midst of a tranquil countryside—a familiar sight, but with a twist. This is the puzzle of 'England's rectangular cows,' an artistic mystery that has intri…
RMS Olympic was the largest ocean liner in the world for two periods during 1910–13, interrupted only by the brief tenure of the slightly larger Titanic (which had the same dimensions but higher gross register tonnage) before the German SS Imperator went into …
These striking photographs of psychedelic fashion in London were published in the Paris Match magazine (October 1967 issue) and are taken by photographer Philippe Le Tellier. The 1960s were a time of cultural change and tumult, an era that brought the peace…
Many think that London was the best place in the world in the 1960s. Youth culture flourished and post-war austerity finally gave place to a decade of optimism and exploration. In this decade, the traditional hierarchies begin to dissolve paving the way for th…
Diana, Princess of Wales, commonly called Princess Diana was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales (later Charles III), and mother of Princes William and Harry. Diana's activism and glamour made her an inte…
Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and of 14 other sovereign countries from 6 February 1952 until her death. Her reign of 70 years and seven months was the longest of any British monarch. Elizabeth was born in Mayfair, London, as the first child o…
The Great Exhibition, housed within the ‘Crystal Palace’, was an international exhibition which took place in Hyde Park, London, from 1 May to 15 October 1851. It was the first in a series of World's Fairs, exhibitions of culture and industry that became po…
These fascinating black and white pictures show the hop picker families of Kent from the early 1900s. Before mechanization hop-picking was a hugely labor-intensive process. Consequently, farmers needed extra workers. This help came in the form of families, …
These haunting mugshots show Victorian child criminals, some as young as 12, who faced cruel punishments for the most petty crimes. The pictures are taken in the 1870s and originate from Oxford Gaol, a prison that later became HMP Oxford. During this time…
Edward Linley Sambourne was one of the first photographers to capture street fashion by using a hidden camera. He made his living as an artist and is most notably known for his drawings and cartoons in Punch magazine, where he eventually became a full-t…
These idyllic photographs, taken by William Morris Grundy, capture the rural life in England during the Victorian era. Born in Birmingham in 1806, Grundy took up photography in 1855 and made dozens of stereoscopic photos, primarily posed genre scenes of…
The Victorian Era may not have been the start of the institutionalization of patients with mental health problems, but it was certainly a period when the number of asylums and patients treated within them, exploded. Whether this rise was mainly due to a…
In the Victorian era, the woman's hair was considered an important part of her appearance and it marked her status and her femininity. Women in that era were often expected to grow their hair to great lengths, and it was common knowledge that a woman’s crownin…
During the Second World War, Londoners of all classes flocked to Underground platforms to keep themselves safe from the destruction that was being wrought above the ground by the German bombers. The Blitz refers to the strategic bombing campaign conducted b…
The close relationship between Queen Victoria and her young Indian attendant Abdul Karim was deemed controversial and scandalous by the royal court. A fter the Queen passed away, the family evicted Karim from the home the queen had given him and deporte…