"I want to lead the victorian life, surrounded by exquisite clutter." -Freddy Mercury
Life in the middle class
The Victorian Era was a Golden Age for the middle class. It was a period of great opportunity, especially for the skilled worker. During Queen Victoria's reign, she took London from a rural area to a booming modern society. The direct result of the Industrial Revolution was the emergence of the Victorian middle class. During this period of time, there was a shift in England's economy from an agriculture to a diverse group of skilled workers. This up and coming social group became 15% of the population and ranged from anyone who was working class or the elite class. The highest ranking workers in the middle class were the professionals, it included military and naval officers, branches of medicine and law, bankers, engineers, manufacturers, and university professors. The lower middle class workers were clerical workers and small business owners. Eventually, when London became a world center for finance and business, the white collar section grew.
The new age also included a new way of life in the Victorian household. Family life and togetherness became a key characteristic in these households. Victorians sought after having a comfortable home, the term homesickness came from this time. Women typically married into the middle class. There function was to display her husbands financial successes. The home became a place to show off their material things and the fancier the better. there were exquisite pianos, rugs, and other luxury goods. The wife also may change her clothes many times a day too, to show off her financial status. It was the wife's job to create a calming environment for her husband to come home to. But, it was frowned upon for women to do housework, which was left to housemaids, servants, cooks, and nursemaids. Children became the center of home-life. Although the kids were often raised by a nanny, their parents were still around.