Victorian Families
The National Library in Dublin has a fascinating collection of historic photographs that date from around the middle of the nineteenth century. I enjoy searching through them to find inspiration for characters in my novels and for authentic information about period clothes, houses, carriages, towns and country pursuits.
(The photographs reproduced here have no known copyright)
“Victorian families were often large. Wealthy couples might have had five or six children while poorer families in Ireland had many more.”
These two little girls look determined to include their pet terrier. They were the daughters of the head gardener on the Clonbrock estate in County Galway.
Victorian children
In the country, better off Victorian families lived in medium to large houses and would have had at least two servants to tend to their needs. Poorer families rented their houses or cabins from the local landlord and might only have had four rooms. In the cities, several families often had to share a house with no bathroom. Water for drinking and washing was carried from the nearest pump.
Children of wealthier families in the nineteenth century were often photographed with animals, usually dogs which were almost obligatory in portraits of country families. Photography was new and expensive in the nineteenth century.
INSPIRATION FOR CHARACTERS
There are five children in The Family Shadow. These National Library photographs helped provide inspiration.
It’s hard to tell which is the dog here. I suspect it might be the one on the left but is it dressed in a rabbit suit? And what is the hairy creature in the middle? Another dog or just another fluffy blanket? An amusing photograph taken in County Waterford.
learning to ride in the nineteenth century
This baby is starting early and looks happy in the basket saddle. Basket saddles are still available to buy today.
Learning to ride a horse was useful in the nineteenth century because it was a way of getting from one place to another and was also a sociable sport. The wealthier families often kept a stable of riding horses, carriage horses and ponies for children.
A rocking horse was a common feature in a nursery or playroom and helped little children get their balance before being allowed out on the real thing. Our family had a lovely dapple grey rocking horse that dated from the Victorian era with a leather bridle and saddle.
Beautiful formal portrait of a young girl in Victorian times in her winter outfit.
On the opposite end of the social scale, here are four sisters from County Clare. They didn’t come from a privileged home and took part in a rent boycott, ending up having to fight off the police and bailiffs during an eviction from the home their family had living in for generations.
The girls wielded pitchforks and threw boiling water over their attackers. They were arrested and sent to jail but eventually allowed back to their home after a settlement was agreed upon.
These two little ones in the late 1880s provided inspiration for Grace Thornton’s younger sisters, Irene and Nora in the novel.
Another sweet family portrait from County Tipperary. The little girl on the left looks like an amusing character and my character Harriet probably had a mischievous smile like her when she was younger.
Two young ladies in 1890 who remind me of the two eldest cousins in The Family Shadow. Harriet is sitting on the chair with her book of drawings and riddles, while Grace is looking over her shoulder.
This is Adare village in County Limerick where local girls from poorer families were sent to the pump to collect water. Many of these thatched cottages still exist today and Adare is a popular tourist destination as it is a designated heritage village. The fictional village of Ardlackan in County Wexford in the novel looked a bit like this in the 1890s.
The Family Shadow is a historical mystery with dual timeline suspense and long-buried family secrets.