The Victorian Variety Show

Just a (not so) quick and (mostly unscripted) explanation of why the show is going on hiatus until December, which ends with my reading of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, “Spirits of the Dead.”

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References

Poe, Edgar Allan. “Spirits of the Dead.” https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48632/spirits-of-the-dead

Wikipedia. “Poems by Edgar Allan Poe.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poems_by_Edgar_Allan_Poe#Spirits_of_the_Dead_(1827)

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter (or X, or whatever it’s called now): twitter.com/victorianvarie1

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Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

In the second episode of my 2-part examination of the life and career of Sir William Crookes (1832-1919), I explore events that inspired his interest in spiritualism, his unique methods of combining his studies in this area with his scientific background, and his work with some well-known 19th-century mediums, as well as the reception his work with mediums received from the scientific and spiritualist communities.

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References

Barral, Miguel. “The Ghosts of William Crookes.” https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/science/leading-figures/the-ghosts-of-william-crookes/

Crookes, William. Researches in the phenomena of spiritualism. https://archive.org/details/researchesinphen00croo/page/4/mode/2up

Doyle, Arthur Conan. “The Researches of Sir William Crookes.” https://worldspirituality.org/william-crookes-html/

Ghost Club, The. “The Ghost Club.” https://ghostclub.org.uk/history.html

Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, The. https://hermeticgoldendawn.org

Magnet Academy (National MagLab). “William Crookes.” https://nationalmaglab.org/magnet-academy/history-of-electricity-magnetism/pioneers/william-crookes/

Psi Encyclopedia. “William Crookes.” https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/william-crookes#:~:text=William%20Crookes%20was%20the%20first%20British%20scientist%20of,continue%20to%20be%20widely%20cited%20and%20discussed%20today.

Society for Psychical Research. https://www.spr.ac.uk/about/our-history

Victorian Era. “Victorian Spiritualism And Spiritualists.” https://victorian-era.org/victorian-spiritualism-spiritualists.html

Wikipedia

“Allen Thomson.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Thomson

“C.F. Varley.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._F._Varley

“William Crookes.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Crookes

Relevant past TVVS episodes

“2 Sides of Sir William Crookes, Part 1: The Scientist.” https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/episodes/2-Sides-of-Sir-William-Crookes--Part-1-The-Scientist-e295aad

“Victorian-Era Spiritualism, Part 1: The Fox Sisters.” https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/episodes/Victorian-Era-Spiritualism--Part-1-The-Fox-Sisters-e187d57

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter (or X, or whatever it’s called now): twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Threads: threads.net/@marisadf13

Bluesky: @marisadf13.bsky.social

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I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

I first learned about British physicist and chemist Sir William Crookes (1832-1919) several months ago, while working on my episode on X-rays. Recently, while reading Violet Tweedale’s Ghosts I Have Seen and Other Psychic Experiences, I learned that Sir William had an interest in spiritual and paranormal matters in addition to the sciences. In this episode, I focus on some of his better known scientific discoveries (and will discuss his relationship to the paranormal next time).

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References

Barral, Miguel. “The Ghosts of William Crookes.” https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/science/leading-figures/the-ghosts-of-william-crookes/

Crookes, Sir William. On radiant matter [microform] : a lecture delivered to the British Association for the Advancement of Science, at Sheffield, Friday, August 22, 1879. https://archive.org/details/onradiantmatterl00croorich/page/7/mode/2up

Division of Chemical Education, Purdue University. “6.1 Crookes' Tube.” https://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/demosheets/6.1.htm

National MagLab. “William Crookes.” https://nationalmaglab.org/magnet-academy/history-of-electricity-magnetism/pioneers/william-crookes/

Sella, Andrea. “Crookes' tube.” https://www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/crookes-tube/8381.article

Travis, Anthony S. “Introduction: Food or Famine.” https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-68963-0_1

Tweedale, Violet. Ghosts I Have Seen and Other Psychic Experiences. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/39769/39769-h/39769-h.htm#Page_33

Wikipedia

“Atomic, molecular, and optical physics.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic,_molecular,_and_optical_physics#Optical_physics

“Crookes radiometer.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crookes_radiometer

“Organic chemistry.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_chemistry

“Phenakistiscope.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenakistiscope

“Robert Bunsen.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bunsen

“William Crookes.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Crookes

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter (or X, or whatever it’s called now): twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Threads: threads.net/@marisadf13

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I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

If you spend any time learning about Victorian Era funeral and burial etiquette, chances are you’ll come across an illustration of a Fisk Patent Air-Tight Metallic Burial Case…and once you do, you’ll never forget it. I discuss the circumstances that inspired the creation of this unique coffin and some of its benefits, as well as how it’s often viewed from a modern perspective.

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References

American Civil War Medicine & Surgical Antiques. “Valentine Mott, M.D.” http://medicalantiques.com/civilwar/Medical_Authors_Faculty/Mott_Vanentine.htm

Cherrell, Kate. “Victorian Iron Mummies: The Fisk Casket.” https://burialsandbeyond.com/2019/07/01/victorian-iron-mummies-the-fisk-casket/

Dickinson, Emily. “A Coffin — is a small Domain.” https://allpoetry.com/A-Coffin---is-a-small-Domain

Fisk, Almond D. “Patent US5920A.” https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/59/07/cd/c02d1344615405/US5920.pdf

Meier, Allison. “The Cast Iron Coffin That Was Too Creepy Even for the Victorians.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/morbid-monday-fisk-mummy-case

Neighbors, Joy. “A Grave Interest.” https://agraveinterest.blogspot.com/2012/08/history-of-coffins-caskets.html

Warnasch, Scott. “A Brief History of Fisk’s Coffins.” https://ironcoffinmummy.com/a-brief-history-of-fisks-coffins/

Wikipedia. “Fisk metallic burial case.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisk_metallic_burial_case

Woodyard, Chris. “A Grave Warning About Iron Coffins.” http://hauntedohiobooks.com/news/a-grave-warning-about-iron-coffins/

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter (or X, or whatever it’s called now): twitter.com/victorianvarie1

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Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

In this Season 3 premiere, I bring you my recent conversation with Ryan Stevens, in which we talked briefly about the history of figure skating, as well as its increased popularity in the 19th Century and Victorian Era “Skate King,” Jackson Haines.

About Ryan Stevens:

I am a former figure skater and judge from Halifax, Nova Scotia. I have been writing about figure skating history since 2013, on my blog Skate Guard. I also write for U.S. Figure Skating's magazine "Skating", the oldest continuously published skating periodical in the world. I have been consulted on figure skating history by numerous museums, as well as by television programs on CBC, NBC and ITV.

Skate Guard: skateguard1.blogspot.ca

Jackson Haines: The Skating King: https://bit.ly/3WKMKkZ

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References

du Maurier, George. “Rincomania.” http://www.skatingaheadofthecurve.com/ThePoetryOfSkating.html

du Maurier, George. “Rincomania” (with illustration). https://archive.org/details/punch68a69lemouoft/page/n43/mode/2up

Talent, Annalise. “Become an Instant Expert on William Wordsworth, the Ice-Skating Poet.” https://theartssociety.org/arts-news-features/become-instant-expert-william-wordsworth-ice-skating-poet

Wikipedia. “George du Maurier.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_du_Maurier

Wikipedia. “The Prelude.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prelude

Wordsworth, William. “So through the darkness and cold we flew.” https://wordsworth-coleridge.com/home/wordsworth/skating

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Threads: threads.net/@marisadf13

Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

In the second episode of my 2-part miniseries on Isabella Mary Mayson Beeton (a.k.a. “Mrs. Beeton”), I delve deeper into her voluminous Book of Household Management.

Catch episode 1 here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6cBEAgXffA4uv8doOxpm6l?si=doVWQOEYT5qbHki5lua8zg

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References

Beeton, Isabella. The Book of Household Management (1861 edition). https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/10136/pg10136.html

Beeton, Isabella. The Book of Household Management (1888 edition).

https://archive.org/details/b21536193/page/n1/mode/1up

Discover Britain. “Isabella Beeton and the art of household management.” https://www.discoverbritainmag.com/isabella-beeton-and-the-art-of-household-management/

Hughes, Kathryn. “Mrs Beeton and the art of household management.” https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/mrs-beeton-and-the-art-of-household-management

Miss Windsor’s Delectables. “The Culinary Chronicles of Mrs Beeton!” https://missw.shar-web.co.uk/myblog/the-culinary-chronicles-of-mrs-beeton/

Wikipedia. “Isabella Beeton.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Beeton

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Threads: threads.net/@marisadf13

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I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

If you’re a fan of vintage food and cooking (like I am), you’ve probably heard the name “Mrs. Beeton,” and may even have seen an edition of her voluminous Book of Household Management. But who was Mrs. Beeton, and what are some reasons her book has stood the test of time?

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References

Beeton, Isabella. The Book of Household Management.

https://archive.org/details/b21536193/page/n1/mode/1up

Discover Britain. “Isabella Beeton and the art of household management.” https://www.discoverbritainmag.com/isabella-beeton-and-the-art-of-household-management/

Findlaw. “Copyrighting Recipes.” https://www.findlaw.com/smallbusiness/intellectual-property/copyrighting-recipes.html

Hughes, Kathryn. “Mrs Beeton and the art of household management.” https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/mrs-beeton-and-the-art-of-household-management

Miss Windsor’s Delectables. “The Culinary Chronicles of Mrs Beeton!” https://missw.shar-web.co.uk/myblog/the-culinary-chronicles-of-mrs-beeton/

Wikipedia. “Isabella Beeton.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Beeton

Wikipedia. “The Queen: The Ladies Newspaper and Court Chronicle.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Queen:_The_Ladies_Newspaper_and_Court_Chronicle

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Threads: threads.net/@marisadf13

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Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Download a FREE audiobook version of Washington Irving’s The Chronicles of Wolfert’s Roost & Other Papers (for which I read a chapter) here! https://librivox.org/chronicles-of-wolferts-roost-and-other-papers-by-washington-irving/

I (& my dog) recently had X-rays, & it hit me that X-rays were a pretty big (albeit short-lived) fad toward the end of the Victorian Era. I discuss the history of the X-ray, & explore why X-rays were initially so popular & why that popularity eventually faded.

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References

Click Americana. “How X-rays were discovered – Victorian medical tech we still use every day.” https://clickamericana.com/topics/discoveries-inventions/how-x-rays-were-first-discovered-medical-tech

Davis-Marks, Isis. “Researchers Reveal Mummy’s Surprising Contents Without Unwrapping It.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-examine-1900-year-old-mummy-without-opening-it-180976561/

Gershon, Livia. “The X-Ray Craze of 1896.” https://daily.jstor.org/the-x-ray-craze-of-1896/

Kaye, George William Clarkson. X rays, an introduction to the study of Röntgen rays. https://archive.org/details/xraysintroductio00kayerich/page/216/mode/2up

Kennedy, Kelsey. “The Existential Horror Created by the First X-Ray Images.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/roentgen-xrays-discovery-radiographs

Pamboukian, Sylvia. “‘Looking Radiant’m Science, Photography and the X-ray Craze of 1896.” https://www.jstor.org/stable/27793468?mag=the-x-ray-craze-of-1896

Wikipedia. “Crookes tube.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crookes_tube

Wikipedia. “X-ray.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray

X-Ray Art. “Pre-Röntgen X-Ray History.” https://www.xray-art.com/pre-rontgen-x-ray-history/

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

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I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

I briefly explore the life of writer Edith Nesbit, a.k.a. “E. Nesbit” (1858-1924), and read excerpts from some of her works.

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References

Banerjee, Jacqueline. “E. Nesbit, Rudyard Kipling and The Strand Magazine.” https://victorianweb.org/authors/nesbit/kipling.html

Britannica. “Fabian Society.” https://www.britannica.com/topic/Fabian-Society

Fabian Society. “Our History.” https://fabians.org.uk/about-us/our-history/

Morbid Curiosity Podcast. “The Shadow.” https://www.thebelfry.rip/blog/2022/1/24/shadow-of-edith-nesbit-morbid-curiosity

Nesbit, E. “A Dirge.” https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/50162/pg50162-images.html#A_DIRGE

Nesbit, E. “Man-Size in Marble.” https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/40321/pg40321-images.html#MAN-SIZE_IN_MARBLE

Nesbit, E. The Story of the Treasure Seekers. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/770/pg770-images.html

Page, Benedicte. “E Nesbit's classic The Railway Children accused of 'plagiarism'.” https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/mar/21/nesbit-railway-children-plagiarism

Wikipedia. “E. Nesbit.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Nesbit

Wikipedia. “The Children’s Book.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Children%27s_Book

Winter, Jessica. “The British Socialist Who Rewrote the World for Children.” https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/the-british-socialist-who-rewrote-the-world-for-children

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Also, check out Anthony Trollope’s Hunting Sketches and thousands of other FREE audiobook versions of books in the public domain at LibriVox.org!

What with popular attribution of the phrase “We are not amused” to Queen Victoria and the widespread belief that Victorians were obsessed with etiquette and death, it’s easy to get the impression that many people during this period lacked a sense of humor. However, I will explain why I’ve found the opposite to be the case, and provide examples of Victorian humor.

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References

Nicholson, Bob. “Actually, we are amused – how the Victorians helped to shape Britain’s unique sense of humour.” https://theconversation.com/actually-we-are-amused-how-the-victorians-helped-to-shape-britains-unique-sense-of-humour-82714

Punch 1841-1992. https://archive.org/details/pub_punch

Rowe, Kaz. “The Endless Horror of TikTok’s Historical Misinformation.” https://youtu.be/l4NflBAcsJ4

Russ, Arthur. “19th Century British and American Humour.” https://discover.hubpages.com/education/victorian-humour

The Book of humour, wit, and wisdom : a manual of table-talk. https://archive.org/details/bookofhumourwitw00londiala/page/n5/mode/2up

Vasey, George. The philosophy of laughter and smiling. https://archive.org/details/philosophyoflaug00vase/page/27/mode/2up

Victorian London Random Joke Generator. http://www.victorianlondon.org/joke/random.htm

Vintage Everyday. “18th-19th Century Jokes Most People Today Might Not ‘Get.’” https://www.vintag.es/2017/07/18th-19th-century-jokes-most-people.html

Wikipedia. “Phrenology.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrenology

Wilson, Andy. “Queen bombshell: Did Queen Victoria really say 'we are not amused'?” https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1287776/Queen-Victoria-did-Queen-Victoria-say-we-are-not-amused

And, if you haven’t yet listened to my previous episode on Punch Magazine, you can check it out here! https://open.spotify.com/episode/5w0dB0O3oniDXuhattiwkJ?si=idK_dDvcSquSpiInUag7JQ

*****

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!