In these lovely photos, William Morris Grundy captured the English countryside during the Victorian era. Grundy, born in Birmingham in 1806 and started taking pictures in 1855, produced many stereoscopic images, mostly of contrived scenes of rural activities like farming, fishing, and hunting.
Over 200 of his negatives were purchased by the London Stereoscopic Corporation, and individual stereographs are still in existence. Yet Grundy’s twenty original albumen prints that were incorporated into the anthology Sunshine in the Country, A Book of Rural Poetry Embellished with Photos from Nature, are what people most associate his work with (London, 1861).
Despite the metropolis’s expansion, some aspects of Victorian Britain were steadfastly rural.
The land-owning elite enjoyed luxurious lifestyles while being catered to by domestic servants at their rural estates. Those who gained money through business or industry immediately invested it in the land.
“Gamekeepers.”
Family life was ardently idealized, with the youthful Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their nine children as shining examples. However, when social inequality grew more pronounced and entrenched, it was nothing more than a pipe dream for the abjectly poor.
All classes experienced fast changes due to industrialization, leading to the extremes and stunning contrasts that characterized Victorian society.
New construction and rich development coexisted in cities with congested slums where residents endured awful living conditions, long hours at the office, and early deaths.
Farm laborers’ pay was poor in the countryside, and as they lost jobs to machines more frequently, more people moved from rural areas to towns.
Regarding religion, social values, and the arts, the Victorian age shifted from the rationality that characterized the Georgian period toward romanticism and even mysticism. This period witnessed an astounding number of technological advancements that were essential to the strength and prosperity of Britain.
“Garden Astronomy.”
“Over the Gate.”
“Gleaners.”
“Family Picnic.”
“Road Repairs.”
“Lay Victorians.”
“A Moment’s Rest.”
“Stone Steps.”
“Fishing Trip.”
“Lake Fishing.”
“Shared Solitude.”
“Country Gentlemen.”
“Boy’s Best Friends.”
“Crooked Path.”
“Marching Band.”
“Spring Blossoms.”
“Nap in the Sun.”
“Boys in the Wood.”
“Going Fishing.”
“Cows Grazing.”
“Sitting on the fence.”
“Poor Family.”
“Safe Crossing.”
“Fisherman Seated.”
“Pot Shot.”
“Old Forge.”
“Cemetery Kids.”
“William’s Well.”
“A Wintry Walk.”
“After the Storm.”
“Gent for Sale.”
“Pumping Water.”
“Knife Grinders.”
(Photo credit: William Grundy / London Stereoscopic Company / Getty Images).
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