
Victorian Chess Pieces by Berkeley - Russet Brown
Board Not Included The Victorian era was an age of contrasts, with abject poverty and depravity found side-by-side with social, political and scientific progress; the workhouse and child labour persisting alongside sensualistic painting and poetry, peace and the grandiose Victorian age of Britain’s imperialist expansion. Taking its name from Queen Victoria, it would also be the era of Britain’s longest-ruling sovereign, stretching from 1837 until her death in January 1901, with the country transformed from a predominantly agricultural society into the world’s first industrial superpower. Queen Victoria (1819-1901) was the first English monarch to see her name given to the period of her reign whilst still living. The Victorian Age was characterised by rapid change and developments in nearly every sphere – from advances in medical, scientific and technological knowledge to changes in population growth and location. Over time, this rapid transformation deeply affected the country’s mood: