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Victorian

During the Victorian age, when Queen Victoria was on the throne from 1837 to 1901, Britain was the most powerful nation in the world, undergoing an industrial revolution, social reform and advances in science, technology and culture. In 1851 the Great Exhibition, housed in the Crystal Palace, had an enormous impact on the development of art and design throughout the Victorian age and led to the founding of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Thumbnail of Room 125b: Birth, Marriage & Death

Room 125b: Birth, Marriage & Death

Objects relating to birth, marriage and death in Victorian Britain are on display in this room. Rigid social conventions governed the public and private life for all but the poorest people. Most families marked birth, marriage and death with religious ceremonies.

Thumbnail of Obituary of John Morley

Obituary of John Morley

John Harwood Morley (1933–2001) was a curator and writer on the decorative arts responsible for revitalising Brighton's museums and Royal Pavilion. He joined the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1985 as Keeper of the Department of Furniture and Interior Decoration, in which capacity he made some spectacular acquisitions and did much to raise the profile of 20th-century decorative arts studies.

Thumbnail of Room 125c: Influences from Beyond Europe

Room 125c: Influences from Beyond Europe

This gallery shows objects from Victorian Britain when retailers sold a growing range of goods imported from Asia and the Islamic world.

Thumbnail of Sex & Sexuality in the 19th century

Sex & Sexuality in the 19th century

Male anxieties in relation to both physical and mental health in the Victorian era often seem to have concentrated on the supposedly baleful effects of masturbation, which was alleged to cause a wide range of physical and mental disorders, and on venereal diseases, especially syphilis.

Donate to the Stained Glass Appeal

We are currently working on an exciting project to conserve and re-install the original stained glass on the landings of the Manfred and Lydia Gorvy Lecture Theatre. We need your help to raise £75,000 to bring these historical features back to their former glory for us all to enjoy.

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Antelope Chair - Race Furniture for the V&A

Antelope Chair - Race Furniture for the V&A

The V&A Shop is delighted to announce its exclusive collaboration with Race Furniture on the reissue of the Antelope Chair in its original Festival of Britain yellow.

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Event - Form, Fashion, Function: A Concise History of Furniture

Thu 24 January 2013 10:30

SHORT COURSE: Explore the fascinating history of European furniture, using objects, resources and expertise featured in the V&A’s new furniture gallery.

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