Sherlock Holmes popularized criminology and forensics investigating in a time when fingerprinting was brand-new. How has Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s impossibly perceptive detective stood the test of time? […]
The Aesthetic Movement was an artistic expression of “art for art’s sake.” Disavowing notions of literature’s societal necessity, Oscar Wilde wrote in opposition to Dickensian literature—and influenced generations. […]
The Sepoy Rebellion—the uprising of thousands of Indian soldiers—was the single greatest threat to British India since the Battle of Plassey in 1757. But this uprising was much more than a simple military mutiny or nationalist uprising. […]
The late Victorian period is known for great literary talent and the controversies that embroiled it. For example, authors and critics clashed over the depictions of sexuality and of unhappy marriages in print and on the stage. But is it really true that there is no bad PR? […]
Like the medieval castles, Britain’s cathedrals are astounding sites and an absolute must for any visitor to the island. Here, Professor Allitt explores the major milestones in cathedral architecture, from the Romanesque style of Durham Cathedral to the gothic style of Canterbury. He also takes you to the world-renowned Westminster Abbey. […]
Few people defined the machismo of America’s “Wild West” more vividly than William Cody—known better as Buffalo Bill. How much of his story is true? […]
In this lecture, Professor Patrick Allitt explores the rise of vigilante justice, racial prejudices, and class conflict in America’s Wild West. […]
As standards of social decorum for the upper classes increased in the later Victorian period, the need for servants increased as well.
A Difficult Life
The British census of 1891 found that 1.3 million girls and women worked as domestic servants. They were usually recruited between the ages of 10 and 13, after they had been through some elementary schooling. Many employers hoped for the servants they hired to have at least some elementary literacy and numeracy. […]
Some of the worst violence in the American West of the 1800’s involved class conflict at metal ore mines and coal mines. Mine owners tended to be tough, hard-bitten entrepreneurs with a broad streak of ruthlessness. […]
The sudden rush to California in 1849 was something new. Population rose there much faster than the local authorities’ ability to deal with the problems the gold-seekers, nearly all men, brought with them. These were the perfect conditions for vigilante justice to arise. […]
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