10 Ordinary Things From the Victorian Era That Seem Bizarre Today

When we think of the Victorian era, our imagination conjures up austerity, tea parties and corsets tightened to the point of impossibility. But the real story is far more colorful. This era gave the world not only moral codes and ballroom dancing, but also nipple piercings, mustache guards, face masks made of raw meat, and even parties with real mummies.

Nipple piercing

At the end of the Victorian era, contrary to the common perception of restraint and chastity of the time, nipple piercings became a fashionable and unexpected trend among women of high society.

Sources of those years claim that in London, jewelers performed these procedures on aristocratic women. One jeweler even boasted that he had pierced the nipples of more than 40 ladies, including famous actresses and singers.

Mustache guard

Gentlemen in those days wore mustaches, which were treated with great care. And every meal could end in embarrassment because the mustache would get wet from tea and soup, or bits of food would get stuck in it. Then the clever barber of the Emperor himself invented a mustache guard. It protected the mustache, while curling the ends, which was considered very fashionable.

Electrophone

Victorian people had little entertainment, so the invention of the electrophone was a sensation. The system worked through telephone lines, and people could call the operator and listen to news, music and church services. It was insanely fashionable, cooler than the iPhone these days. People went to special listening parlors and even had parties with headphones on.

Meat on the face

One of the most popular cosmetic products was raw beef. Ladies would make masks out of chunks of meat, fat and marrow, and go to bed. It was believed that this treatment made the face look fresh and eliminated wrinkles.

Bread with chalk

In the Victorian era, food could contain completely unexpected ingredients. For example, chalk or gypsum was often added to bread. This reduced the baker’s costs and made the loaf whiter and more attractive to customers. If you want to feel the taste of that time, we suggest you to bake bread according to the recipe of the 19th century. Of course, without chalk and gypsum.

Scented inks

In the Victorian era, writing was no longer the prerogative of the upper classes. All people were able to exchange messages, and writing became an art form. And for the most sophisticated aesthetes, Herbin began to produce scented inks. They were made from flower water of roses, violets, lavender.

By the way, the company still exists. And if you suddenly want to feel like a Victorian aristocrat, you can buy a scented ink.

Madame Rowley’s toilet mask

In the 19th century, women were ready almost for anything to remain young and beautiful, even sleeping in a rubber mask. Its inventor, Helen Rowley, claimed that the mask cleansed, whitened and rejuvenated the skin. In fact, the rubber only stimulated sweating, and we can only guess what the effect was.

Bed warmer

Once, this thing was indispensable in any bed, including the marital bed: people put them to heat up the place and get into a warm bed. The warmer was made of metal or ceramic and filled with coals or water.

Egyptian mummies

In the 19th century, Britain was gripped by a real Egyptomania. Wealthy British tourists who flocked to Egypt tried to bring back a real mummy as a souvenir. On their return from vacation, they held parties with the unwrapping of their trophy. There is even a photo of an invitation to a similar event, where the unwrapping of the mummy was scheduled for 2:30 a.m.

Push-up corset

Even 150 years ago, women were concerned about their shapes and sought to fit themselves to the then fashionable standards by creating volume artificially. That’s when the inflatable corset was invented — the great-grandparent of the modern push-up bra.

And here are some curious facts about the Victorian era that made us appreciate the current times.