Victorian Era

About Victorian Antiques

The Victorian Era, named after the prosperous and peaceful reign of England's Queen Victoria (1837-1901), is a rich and diverse area for collectors. From furniture to lamps, trade cards to prints, cuckoo clocks to music boxes, hatpins to belt buckles, there's a wide range of Victorian items to choose from.

According to Victorian furniture collector John Werry, the Victorian era encompasses aspects of numerous design movements. Gothic Revival, which began in the 18th century, was still going strong during the Victorian Era — the British Houses of Parliament, a good example of the style, were commissioned in 1836 and completed during Victoria’s reign...

French Rococo also left its mark on English furnishings and architecture from about 1840 until 1865. The Renaissance Revival (also known as Neo-Renaissance) followed until about 1890, when the Eastlake and Aesthetic movements took over. They, in turn, were the catalysts for the post-Victorian periods of Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts.

To contemporary eyes used to shopping for furnishings at Ikea, the Victorians with their mixing and matching of aesthetic styles probably seem desperately in need of simplification. They thought nothing of grabbing cultural influences from all corners of the British Empire. It was a great deal of style to reconcile.

Despite their eclecticism, orderliness was a paramount goal. To make the aesthetic even more complex, so was ornamentation. A bare room was considered to be in bad taste, so the Victorians filled them to bursting with elaborately ornamented wood-trimmed furniture by Allen and Brother, George Hunzinger, and Merklen Brothers; glass table lamps on bases of marble, brass, or both; and decorative ceramic Staffordshire figurines of barnyard animals, dogs, and popular historical characters.

The sideboard in the dining room (which in addition to the parlor was one of the few rooms most guests were permitted to see in the typical Victorian home) was particularly important. Fine Belleek china from Ireland would adorn its surface, Haviland china imported from Limoges, France, would be squirreled away within its cabinets, and Majolica pitchers and platters would be at the ready to serve and impress their guests.

Out of sight in the master’s library, you might find a millefiori paperweight or two. In the children’s room, you were sure to come across glistening glass marbles or elaborately costumed dolls with papier-mache, wood, or bisque heads.

Of course Victorian styles and practices were not limited to England. On the William Morris wallpapered walls of American homes during this period, it was common to see Currier and Ives lithographs depicting idealized visions of the good life in the New World. That same lithography made the distribution and collecting of colorful advertisements now known as trade cards possible.

Finally, no mention of the Victorian Era would be complete without acknowledging the profusion of objects of personal adornment that were producing during this period. Necklaces and earrings, of course, but also belt buckles, hatpins, brooches, and cameo rings. The Victorians also appear to have had a thing for buttons, some carved from pearls, others combining pearls with semi-precious metals.

Key terms for Victorian Era Antiques:

Millefiori: An ancient glass technique, popularized in the 19th century, in which rods of fused glass are cut into cross sections to reveal patterns, frequently resembling flowers.

Majolica: A process developed in the 1850's in which pottery was covered in an opaque enamel made from metal oxides, fired, painted, fired again, then covered in a clear enamel.

Bisque: A piece of ceramic that has been fired but not glazed.

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Interviews & Articles

An Interview With Victorian Furniture Collector John Werry

How did I get started collecting Victorian Furniture? Antiques is in my genes, my mother's family were longti… [more]

An Interview With Victorian Trade Card Collector Ben Crane

How did I start collecting Victorian trade cards? In the late 60s I was a bottle collector, early American bo… [more]

An Interview With Victorian Greeting Card Collector Malcolm Warrington

Malcolm Warrington is based 12 miles to the west of Central London. He is a council member of the UK Ephemera… [more]



Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)

Rare Victorian

Rare Victorian

John Werry's in-depth blog on rare Victorian Furniture, with detailed, informative and often humorous posts on doze… [read review or visit site]

The Scrap Album

The Scrap Album

Attention paper collectors: don't miss Malcolm Warrington's exquisitely designed tribute to Victorian scraps (stamp… [read review or visit site]

Trade Card Place

Trade Card Place

Ben Crane's excellent reference site on Victorian trade cards. Includes a scrapbook containing hundreds of beautifu… [read review or visit site]

Stevengraphs Bookmarks and Postcards

Stevengraphs Bookmarks and Postcards

Malcolm Roebuck's tribute to the ornate silk picture bookmarks and postcards ('Stevengraphs') produced by Thomas St… [read review or visit site]


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Antique Victorian Singing Bird Music Box Automaton!$1,800 Ends Saturday 5 bids 27 watchers
Victorian Sheffield Silver Serving Tray$1,025 Ends Sunday 14 bids 11 watchers
Rare 4 Arm Victorian Serpent Gas Light Chandelier Lamp$760.00 Ends Monday 3 bids 49 watchers
1870 Victorian Burl Walnut Lion Cherub Buffet Sideboard$610.00 Ends Sunday 11 bids 30 watchers
Victorian Campaign Medal Indian Mutiny Bar Delhi 75th$583.40 Ends Sunday 18 bids 47 watchers
Old Antique Victorian Brass Kerosene Student Lamp $530.22 Ends Tuesday 12 bids 21 watchers
Victorian Sterling Silver Kettle On Stand Crest 1881$493.88 Ends Friday 4 bids 17 watchers
Antique Wood Burning Stove!ornate/victorian!must See!az$475.00 Ends Sunday 4 bids 22 watchers
Gorgeous India Kashmir Victorian Antique Paisley Shawl$425.00 Ends Monday 6 bids 19 watchers
Antique Victorian Eastlake Desk Secretary Cabinet 1870 $405.00 Ends Saturday 5 bids 58 watchers
1871 English Victorian Sterling Silver Claret Jug $405.00 Ends Sunday 11 bids 7 watchers
Antique Victorian Pink Opaline Pair Of Vases$399.00 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 5 watchers
Antique Brass Victorian Microscope By Smith & Beck 1850$357.35 Ends Sunday 5 bids 42 watchers
Hanging Antique Victorian Oil Lamp$350.00 Ends in 21 hours 1 bid 10 watchers
My Best Huge Victorian Silver Plate Tipping Tea Kettle$348.00 Ends Monday 11 bids 39 watchers
C-001 Victorian Trade Card Scrapbook Album 1000+ Cards$327.99 Ends in 21 hours 13 bids 32 watchers
Victorian Pistol Chatelaine Etui / Necessaire Nr V Rare$316.21 Ends Sunday 18 bids 83 watchers
Antique American Victorian Desk Secretary Bookcase 1870$305.00 Ends Saturday 6 bids 29 watchers
Antique C1870 Masonic Lithograph Victorian Oak Frame$305.00 Ends in 5 hours 5 bids 15 watchers
German Silver Victorian Table Centerpiece Bowl Stand$305.00 Ends Monday 10 bids 29 watchers
Antique Victorian Hanging Oil Kerosene Lamp Chandelier$300.00 Ends Saturday 11 bids 34 watchers
1900 Gas Electric Victorian Chandeleir~nice$300.00 Ends Monday 2 bids 7 watchers
Antique Victorian Papier Mache 15" Folio, Castle Scene$265.00 Ends Sunday 23 bids 7 watchers
Antique American Victorian Etagere Stand Mirror C.1870 $255.00 Ends Saturday 9 bids 41 watchers
Victorian Bisque Parian Porcelain Nude Girl Figurine $255.00 Ends Monday 3 bids 27 watchers
Victorian Antique Woodburning Parlor Stove Peoria$225.00 Ends in 23 hours 1 bid 15 watchers
Antique Victorian Centerpiece German Solid Silver Big $224.50 Ends Saturday 2 bids 11 watchers
Victorian Era Figural Glazed Tile$205.49 Ends in 16 hours 10 bids 17 watchers
Seal Hand Victorian 9ct Gold Amethyst Desk$202.78 Ends Sunday 14 bids 42 watchers
My Best Victorian Mother Of Pearl & Silver Lunch Set Nr$202.50 Ends Monday 18 bids 93 watchers
Antique Victorian Brass Chandelier$200.00 Ends Monday 1 bid 4 watchers
Oak! Eastlake Victorian Fretwork Carved Panel Pediment$199.99 Ends Thursday 15 bids 32 watchers
Swiss Antique Cylinder Music Box 6 Airs Victorian Works$199.99 Ends Monday 1 bid 16 watchers
British Victorian Sargeants Sword Welsh Regiment$199.01 Ends Sunday 6 bids 19 watchers
Antique Victorian Hanging Bronze/brass Lamp 14" Shade$199.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 3 watchers
Original Charles Dana Gibson Victorian Cherub Antique!$195.00 Ends Saturday 1 bid 1 watcher
Nice Victorian Silver Carved Armorial Desktop Seal$194.47 Ends Sunday 26 bids 49 watchers
19th. C Victorian Embroidery Wood Fire Place Screen$191.50 Ends Sunday 2 bids 17 watchers
Victorian Wedding Dome 1880s French No Res And Rare!!!!$185.00 Ends Friday 1 bid 16 watchers
Stunning Ruby Glass Lustre Vase, Victorian Style$180.52 Ends Sunday 15 bids 21 watchers
Best Victorian Silver &crystal Tea Caddy Biscuit Barrel$178.50 Ends Monday 18 bids 51 watchers
Antique Victorian English Brass Postal Letter Scales $172.86 Ends Sunday 8 bids 39 watchers
Victorian Purple Gone With The Wind Gtw Parlor Lamp$170.00 Ends Sunday 21 bids 48 watchers
Bossons Character Head Chalkware Victorian Fireman$167.50 Ends Sunday 18 bids 12 watchers
Vintage Victorian Art Deco Style Hanging Oil Lamp 1890$165.00 Ends in 22 hours 13 bids 31 watchers
Mr Christmas Music Box With Animated Victorian Dancers$161.50 Ends in 17 hours 18 bids 9 watchers
Rare E.n. Welch "eureka" Victorian Oak Wall Clock$157.50 Ends Sunday 6 bids 41 watchers
C1900 Victorian Brass Doorknob W/ Robert E Lee Portrait$157.00 Ends Monday 15 bids 28 watchers
Victorian Silverplate Pickle Castor Figural Cherubs$152.49 Ends Sunday 10 bids 25 watchers
Antique Victorian 19" Hat Coat Rack, Beaded Needlepoint$150.99 Ends Sunday 7 bids 12 watchers
Victorian 1880's Basket Quilt Very Nice!$150.50 Ends Wednesday 6 bids 25 watchers
Antique Victorian Thumbprint Cranberry Globe Hall Lamp $150.00 Ends in 22 hours 1 bid 8 watchers
Victorian British Epaulettes Epaulets Shoulder Boards$149.00 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 8 watchers
Antique Victorian Needlepoint With Child And Dog, $148.50 Ends Saturday 6 bids 26 watchers
Antique Walnut Victorian Rococo Canterbury$135.50 Ends in 21 hours 2 bids 5 watchers
Rare Victorian Solicitors 8 Seal Wheel Bee Dog Lion+++$132.97 Ends in 21 hours 1 bid 11 watchers
Good Victorian Brass Sewing Needle Case / Regd 1870$132.97 Ends Monday 5 bids 33 watchers
Eastlake!! Oak Victorian Sheet Music Holder Book Stand$129.99 Ends Tuesday 10 bids 32 watchers

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Victorian Era

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