During the “Victorian Era” (1837-1901) in Canada, the way of life was much different than it is today. If we were to find a time capsule from this era, there would be many items from social customs, fashion, technology, government, immigration, etc. that we would find interesting and unlike anything in modern times today.
Social Customs During the Victorian Era, there were definite rules set for everyone to follow. You had to be kind and polite, and ladies had to have proper etiquette, such as, learning to appropriately walk across the street, eat fruit, and prepare to be a housewife. Men had to tip their hats to greet a lady, open doors for them, and walk on the outside, to prove they are gentlemen. Women in this era were not expected to be successful, only to stay home and take care of their family and regular maintenance around the house. Men had a better chance at education, therefore, had better jobs and more control over decisions in the family, as they were the men of the house. Although, there were obvious differences in social classes, while in public settings, people called each other by their social status! (For example, if you were talking to a single female, you would call her “miss” to show respect, even if she was a lower/higher class than you.) If you wanted to contact a friend or lover, you would have to send them a handwritten letter. There were different formats to use, such as, just sending a poem. You could also use scented pens (mixing different oils together) to add originality to your letter. I think social customs have changed greatly, and a few things that we could find in a time capsule from this era are; a handwritten letter or invitation, and a journal. Fashion Fashion in the Victorian Era really showed which social class you were apart of. If you were high-class or middle-class, you dressed fancy on a daily basis. If you were low-class you dressed on a more casual level since most of the times you worked and lived on farms, clothing didn’t really matter. Women’s fashion became more popular during this era because of the queen ruling. Women would generally wear long dresses, and styles varied along with fabrics through this era. Wearing a corset was necessary because it made your waist look small, and made you look slim! As for shoes, women would wear laced boots outside, and slippers or tiny-heeled flat shoes inside. Even though women’s fashion was more popular, men still had to look presentable. They almost always wore suits with long coats. As for shoes, they would wear leather boots, and had choice between ankle length or longer. Finally, something that both genders wore, was hats. The most popular hats for women were Edwardian hats, they were huge (kinda like a sun hat) and they came in different patterns such as floral. The most popular hats for men were top hats. They came taller, shorter, and medium length, with colour choices such as brown or black! Fashion since the Victorian Era has progressed majorly! I think we would find different types of fabric, different hats, and shoes in a time capsule from the Victorian era. Technology Victorian Era and technology were a good mix! A few important inventions were made during this era. Starting with the first car made by Karl Benz in 1856, the first telephone made by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, the first radio made by Guglielmo Marconi in 1901, and the first airplane made by the Wright Brothers in 1903! Without these brilliant inventions, who knows how we would be surviving in modern times. Communication with these four big inventions became so much easier, and inspired so much more evolution. Later on in the 1900’s, the creation of the light bulb, television, and more was invented! Technology is still developing even to this day, and without a base, none of it would be possible. The Victorian era was very successful with technology. Something that would be in a time capsule from this era could be a small part from a car (motorized or non motored) , a light bulb, and a telephone! Government Canada became its own country in 1867, during the Victorian Era. Although we were independent, we were still kind of controlled by Britain because we needed them to help us. If we cut ties with them, we wouldn’t know how to make our newborn country liveable for all citizens. Since we were still very new, we did not have a supreme court, so every single idea we thought of had to pass through the British Judicial Committee, located in Britain! This was very time consuming but we had no other choice. Because of the unstable government, churches became a huge influence on people’s lives. Mainly, the churches were Catholic, but we accepted all kinds of religions, and soon enough, there were many churches for all religions! In a time capsule, I think there would be a bible, and maybe a book of policies from the government. Immigration Immigration in the Victorian Era to Canada was still fairly new, but most of the immigrants that came were from Europe and Asia, because people wanted to get away from bad economies. Canada was a new country and gave people a chance to start a new, better life. There was lots of land, freedom, and opportunities. The main place where people immigrated to was Southern Ontario, and that’s why, to this day, there is still the largest amount of Canadians living there than anywhere else in Canada. The reason there is still large populations out west is because once the railway was built, it was so much easier to get there! Today, there are many different cultures that live in Canada, because we allow anyone to immigrate. In a time capsule, I think there would be something from different cultures, like a flag from their home country, or an advertisement that they saw convincing them to come to Canada. |
Social Customs - Gentleman tipping his hat for the lady.
Fashion - Typical outfits for men and women.
Technology - one of the first style of phones.
Government - a bill or list of policies (maybe something to find a time capsule)
Immigration - mostly people from Europe and Asia. |