- Just like today, technological change
was a driving force in the mid-to-late 19th century.
And like today, people's lives were turned upside down
as new inventions changed the way they lived and worked.
It's this rise of society that was more industrial-based
than agricultural-based that drove
much of the way Victorian design looked.
Imagine life before the Industrial Revolution.
Most people made their own clothes,
or they were custom-sewn for them.
Almost every item in their house was handmade.
Their teapots were never identical to those next door.
As new machines and mass manufacturing
began to make exact duplicates of items
that were suddenly available
in huge quantities, this all changed.
Now people were able to choose between different teapots,
and their shirts were available in different colors.
This mass production created competition.
So now the manufacturers were thinking,
"I need people to buy my teapot,
"rather than the teapots from a company down the street.
"But how can I make that happen?"
This is the genesis of modern advertising and design.
In order to compete, manufacturers turned
to posters, placards and ads
to convince consumers to use their products.
What could once be a simple note
on a wall now needed to be noticed.
At the same time, new machines were invented
that could handle finer printing.
So suddenly, there were greater possibilities
for creativity in advertising.
Victorian advertising reflects these changes,
and the values of that period,
such as a clear class structure,
sexual restraint, and a strict code of conduct.
Britain was at the height of its empire,
with colonies around the globe.
An elaborate ornamentation and mixing of styles
from other cultures reinforced
the British empire's colonial strength.
These forms were paired with images
that reflected idealized nostalgia and moral goodness.
This Coca-Cola ad is a great example of a sentimental image
representing the goodness of a Victorian woman.
And the ornate typography representing the refined
and upper-class values of Coca-Cola.
The advertising had an air of optimism.
New machines and industries were transforming the world
and making wonderful products.
It was a time of massive technological innovation.
Science and industry were going to solve all the problems
of poverty, hunger and disease.
We may look at the Victorians and think they're
old-fashioned and naive, but the design
embraces the new ideas of the time.
They were in the midst of rapid change
which affected the ways they lived and worked.
There are some parallels to today,
as it can seem that new digital technologies appear
before we've even learned how to use the last ones.