Victorian era

Period of British history associated with the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). The period was, on the whole, marked by increasing prosperity, industrial and scientific development and the furthest extent of imperial expansion. It is estimated that the population of England almost doubled between 1851 and 1901 and profits gained from the British Empire and industrial improvements at home allowed an educated middle class to develop. In the arts, there was a reaction against the growth of industrialism and mass production and Renaissance and medieval styles became increasingly popular, as exemplified by the work of Pre-Raphaelite painters and the Arts and Craft Movement. Victorian style was generally lavish and highly ornate, especially in architecture, where the prevailing forms were those of neoclassicism and of the Gothic revival. On the international scene, Britain established its rule in India, struggled with the question Home Rule in Ireland and fought the Crimean War (1853-56).