FURNISHING THE GENTEEL VICTORIAN HOUSE with Linda Young

The 19th century was the period when cleanliness, comfort, and good manners moved out of the exclusive domain of the aristocracy and into middle class life. Rising incomes and mass production enabled more and more people to buy the clothes, equipment and furnishings to live the genteel life. But how did they know what to acquire? What were the important elements of elegant Victorian living?

Dr Linda Young, lecturer in Museum Studies at Deakin University, uses images, diaries, advice books and household inventory records to explore the topic.