High Definition

http://imaginethatcreative.net/categories/digital-marketing/high-definition-vs-standard-definition-video/

As we are currently studying this term a topic called "Makeup in motion" it would make sense to understand that that is the idea of high definition; being a makeup artist in training myself or even one who has no idea what their reading needs to understand the rules that we must follow if we are working on actors in front of cameras or someone for a event. Quite simply the use of High definition from a television to a camera the image quality is a lot better which means a lot more details will be picked up; which sadly for some of these the makeup artist learnt the rather embarrassing way.

http://uk.eonline.com/news/541418/angelina-jolie-and-6-more-stars-who-suffered-makeup-mishaps-see-the-pics

High quality cameras and really bright lighting will affect the makeup like the actors above were proven. Its strange how our eyes don't pick up the same things sometimes as what the camera would be seeing, its almost like that blue dress/gold dress craziness going around haha.

A really great article I found was one from the BBC academy

CHECK ME OUT!!!

Estella Assessment

"I have not bestowed my tenderness anywhere. I have never had any such thing."

Oh Estella you heart breaker. The character of Estella was really interesting to create because of her back story; she's mysterious in many ways, who is she really? why is did Miss Havisham adopt her? Who are her parents? Not only does Pip's love for her make him decide to be a gentleman but there stories were always intertwined due to her father being no other then Magwitch; Estella's biological father. 

    

Estella is beautiful though hard she has become Miss Havisham's minion, a man hating creation. Estella was a failed plan though for Miss Havisham as in the end its Pip and Estella who finally have their happy ending.

Victorian women had strong ideals for what beauty could be conveyed as, delicate pale beauty's who looked like they could faint at any moment from being so weak and innocent another beauty was that modelled upon Queen Victoria one who was strong and statuesque. Estella of course was attractive she was made to break hearts. My plan for Estella was incorporated with both of these ideals of beauty, strong  on the outside and to others but still with a large amount of insecurity within herself. She is like a oyster shell that needs to be cracked to reveal the pearl inside. 

The makeup for Estella was delicate and 'pretty' the colours I used were done to suit Kyomi's richer skin tone, a light orange and brown mix on the lids that works because its only a couple shades darker then her actual colouring, the face has been contoured but also highlighted to created a dewy look for my model. Lips are simply patted onto with a pinky rose colour that just adds more colouring to the naturally lip colouring. 

In editing I've lighted the image to make the hair clearer, the hair itself is part wig with the frontal section being Kyomi's natural hair. The wig was curled then attached to the smoothed back part of the head. In fitting with Victorian fashions the hair is curled then clipped to form a structure at the back with slick back sides and a loose backing. I was actually quite happy with the results and felt it went a lot better then my Miss Havisham hair. I do need practice with extremely curly hair though. The assessment itself was informal though I do have doubts it was, even if it was actually informal we need to learn (the class) to get into the routine of being professional even in practice sessions. i.e. capes, hair up, setting out, skills. 

the locket photo above I though was a little fun, I wonder if Miss Havisham or Pip would be wearing it though? 

 

Evaluation 

The entire two weeks of assessments was rather stressful though exciting at the same time, I had always focused more on my practices of Miss Havisham over Estella due to Miss Havisham being more of a focus in the project. The look of Estella was fun to do because it meant we could look from making a haggard women into the ideals of Victorian beauty and our own take of the character. Me and my model worked really well being comfortable with each other and being about to talk and plan about what we were thinking whether it was facial charts before the actual assessment days or what to wear. I'm going to be annoying and say I felt my practice version of Estella I was a lot happier with I used a couple of different products  which looked better but were FORGOTTEN (I know) on the actual day of Estella. The most annoying mistake in the world but I put my hands up and accept it; just one of those things that I will learn from and not do again. Even with my Miss Havisham makeup I didn't want the looks to be unconvincing, applying a tonne of makeup onto Ky would of not looked realistic at all. This was the women that Pip basically fell in love with straight away she would be natural and a classic looking beauty. Foundation was applied just to create a even base layer within the colouring of my model as she tented to have yellow tonnes on her face in some places. Overall I'm actually really happy with my take on Estella; Kyomi looks natural and pretty just like I wanted her too. The hair part of the assessment actually went okay, by that stage I was used to applying the wig so didn't panic too much, I tried to mask the side of Kyomi's head in which is short due to being shaved which I think worked as parting the hair in the middle I just used her long fringe to blend much like I did with the wig. I've used the image above because it shows the makeup well and shows the hair a little it wasn't until I was actually analysing the images at home I realised the hair back photo was far to dark to be acceptable.

ASSESSMENT - Miss Havisham

Part 1

The first assessment was nerve raking but also really exciting; For my take on Miss Havisham I had always wanted something a little different so picking Ky who has a deeper skin tone was unconventional but also really great for developing my own take on her. The make up is simple; accentuating her natural youthful face to look much older with a mix of concealers and powders. 

The assessment though itself actually went quite well, I felt like I believed my character, almost like she wasn't actually wearing makeup and it was just her face; the whole idea of the project for me was creating the realistic. Much like if Miss Havisham existed she wouldn't be made up at all.

The lip affect was to create a dry dehydrated lip I used Eyelash glue which was a risk because it would be hard to create again but I think the finished detailing looked good, Dry chapped lips. Yum.

Part 2 

The follow up for continuity was a couple of weeks after the initial Miss Havisham assessment. Not only was this a good idea because it meant that we would have to learn continuity but it also meant we could practice the looks again before re showing them. 

On the day I redid the makeup there was a lot of pressure for me because of course I'd never done continuity before but as a student make-up artist studying all the different aspects in makeup continuity would be a necessity; also the gothic horror title the is also "Makeup in motion" as we are looking at gothic horror in television and learning how to create wounds and other aspects of the topic. The makeup itself went okay comparing to the original shoot there are minuet changes but I wouldn't of expected it to of been perfect as I'm still clearly learning. The makeup itself was simple but realistic as thats what I had always aimed for. I love how tired Ky actually looks with the shades of concealers I put under her eye. Its a shame the white in her hair didn't really pick up on camera as it aged her even more.

The biggest mistake and most annoying thing I did was I FORGOT MY VEIL! the main prop in the entire look... I was not happy with myself but couldn't do anything at the time. 

Miss Havisham Facial Charts

The original facial chart I did for my Miss Havisham ideas, this was before we had been partnered up and was simply just a initial testing for how I could create Miss Havisham's character within my own creative mind. I looked at the story of Miss Havisham and how she was deprived from her 20 years of solitude. Dark circles under her eyes from sleepless nights. I also filled in the brows to be rather unkept as of course they would of been, even for woman of that age I wanted to create quite a dramatic look. The lips are dark and dry, of course though she wouldn't be wearing purple lipstick so this was something that wasn't realistic.

This design for me was all about creating the look of a deprived face, I wanted to create a sleep deprived and a gaunt Miss Havisham. Not only would she be lacking a lot of necessities within her body but she would also be dirty and ill. The look is dramatic and on a scale of looks that could be believable but maybe it was too much. In the end I decided after creating a third face chart that no this would not be the design I'd create for Ky.

The third and final face design, the camera hasn't picked up the detailing the best but I decided to use this design due to wanting to create a actual believable Miss Havisham. Ky's skin tonne is slightly deeper and caramel but with more yellow tonnes in. I wanted there to be a almost Make-up? what makeup look. Eyebrows would be natural but brushed. The face would be shaded to create a slight gaunt deprived look. The underneath eye colouring was important because I wanted to increase the yellow in Ky's skin, the look of a women who had become unhinged and hadn't sleep properly in a while. The foundation base would be slightly lighter then her natural skin but just to pale it down slightly to reflect the fact Miss Havisham's character hasn't been outside for twenty years since being glitched on her wedding day. I wanted to also create extremely dry lips so a mixture of eyelash glue and pale shadows would be patted upon the lips. I also looked at the idea of gluing hair to her face like many older women getting stray hairs I thought this would be fun and also look really cool.

The Hair Design 

The hair design needed to be planned out quite a lot in my head and within notes, having Kyomi as my partner I had always wanted to use her wig to add length to the design. Having naturally very curly hair though this was something I'd never yet styled being a complete hair stylist newbee since going to Solent to do my course. I wanted the hair to be in a bun; yes it was simple and it wouldn't be perfect but that was what I wanted. Just think Miss Havisham hasn't washed her hair and slept on it for twenty years. It would look more like a birds nest then anything. In fitting with the Victorian theme though I tried to get the design in fitting with the brief. Having a long side fringe I decided that should be curled and parted in the middle this was also better as Ky has a shaved segment within the front of hair. For props I brought a long veil from eBay which I would tea/coffee stain and rip in places and put two little rose buds after the fringe sectioning this was also a good idea to help blend the wig into the front section of hair more believably. 

The Art of Gothic

"what is gothic?" is the opening line to the start of the three part documentary. The opening scenes then goes to explain the start of the gothic style period in which the medieval architecture first used of the word 'Gothic;' especially popular in churches in which art and the idea of the vision of god was clearly displayed through the idea of gothic architecture.  Gothic literature itself first started coming about strongly in England the idea of creating horror and romance was popular due to expansion of the modern world forming; much like England's industrial growth.

The presenter of the documentary and also the writer/Director was Andrew Graham Dixon who is not only a historian but also a broadcaster. The first episode is titled Liberty Diversity Depravity

Walpoles beautiful house in Strawberry Hill

                                      http://londonunveiled.com/2012/09/01/strawberryhill/

Much like the clip I've posted before titled "The Gothic" after the introduction Dixon started the documentary at Horace Halpole house in Strawberry Hill, not only is the house extremely beautiful but it also represents a classically gothic layout with the rooms and outside features such as the window shaping and ceiling coffers much like that of medieval cathedrals. The layout is also extremely decorated with each room being decorated full of arts and objects in fitting the Gothic period.

One of the hallways in the house, rich in colour and detailed ceiling work. One of the entrances in the house though juxtaposed to the other room being strong in greys the colours within the house are all very popular within the Gothic theme. Notice the almost mythical stair case with the detailed hand rails in fitting the gothic but also the newel design in which consists of a antelope creature.

Walpole was the author of "The castle of Otranto" this book is extremely important in the development of the gothic because to many it is considered as the prioring first book in the genre of gothic literature. The castle of Otranto's plot is basically about the lord of the castle Manfred and his family, the tale entails his story with his family, death and murder. The idea of a prophesy also creates suspicion and madness which result form Manfred's son being killed on his wedding day and a the revelation of the real Prince of Otranto.

The documentary then went to the georgina period and how at the time they had become obsessed with the idea of including stately homes with temples in the grounds. People also liked visiting old medical ruins. Of course though the idea of the folly was also around.

Lord Cobben built a gothic temple to relieve the idea of a gothic church to show "freedom" the temple is called "The temple of Liberty" the building itself was actually completed in 1749 after his death. Was a political agenda the building also with anglican saxon workings within the building "A temple to english liberty from a political agenda. was extremely rich" Interestingly the building can now be rented out for sort breaks. I WANT TO GO

The idea of folly's were also extremely popular fake ruins such as ivy clan ruins in gardens or even hadley hall these places were popular folly's for the Victorian adventurer and but also especially writers and artists who captured the romantic imagination, a new look on the world.

Not only were folly's a idea for creating adventure but also people of the era also were striving out into the unknown and going on little adventures. Going into the natural world and finding something that creates both terror and sheer excitement such as going to visit cliffs. Painters were key at the time for those not as adventurous but still wanting to see what was out there the idea of a painting of a ship in the middle of a storm was something unusual and unseen. The whole idea of creating the sublime.
Way before his time an Italian artist called Salvator Rosa was a huge 'sublime' painter of course though and quite typically he died before the gothic and sublime got popular. In fact he was nearly 150 years ahead of the movement, his work is extremely detailed, a few pieces are held in the national gallery such as "Witches at their Incantations" the painting to me is actually quite disturbing the scene is weird and full of characters. I must say the dead man with the extended broken neck reminds me of something from the ring.

Witches at their Incantations, around 1646

               http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/salvator-rosa-witches-at-their-incantations

William Shakespeare is also touched upon due to his supernatural writings which include Witches (Macbeth) and Ghosts (Hamlet) and even death (Romeo & Juliet) in fact many of his plans end with dramatic finales. Of course though The Victorian era was the biggest for Gothic but in the Medieval times gothic was seen for religious and architect reasons.

The graveyard poets 

Robert Blair - The Grave 

WHILST some affect the sun, and some the shade,
Some flee the city, some the hermitage;
Their aims as various as the roads they take
In journeying through life; the task be mine
To paint the gloomy horrors of the tomb;	5
Th’ appointed place of rendezvous, where all
These trav’llers meet. Thy succours I implore,
Eternal King! whose potent arm sustains
The keys of hell and death. The Grave, dread thing!
Men shiver when thou’rt nam’d: nature appall’d	10
Shakes off her wonted firmness. Ah! how dark
Thy long-extended realms, and rueful wastes,
Where nought but silence reigns, and night, dark night,
Dark as was chaos ere the infant sun
Was roll’d together, or had tried his beams	15
Athwart the gloom profound! The sickly taper
By glimm’ring through thy low-brow’d misty vaults,
Furr’d round with mouldy damps and ropy slime,
Lets fall a supernumerary horror,
And only serves to make thy night more irksome!	20
Well do I know thee by thy trusty yew,
Cheerless, unsocial plant! that loves to dwell
’Midst sculls and coffins, epitaphs and worms;
Where light-heel’d ghosts and visionary shades,
Beneath the wan cold moon (as fame reports)	25
Embodied thick, perform their mystic rounds.
No other merriment, dull tree! is thine.

                                          http://www.bartleby.com/333/115.html

The poem itself is rather long so here is the first verse. The poem was written by Robert Blair and is in a Blank verse format. The poem was first published in 1747. The poem of Ossian by James Macpherson these works are inspired by ancient works and heroic deeds written in a epic poetry collective.


William Beckford born in 1760 was a english writer who pushed himself within his work never reaching a limit he was clearly always living on the edge throughout his life, his father was the mayor of London at a time and he had in fact inherited a cool million at the age of ten, he was bisexual and actually had a orgy for his 21st birthday; it sounds like he was some kind of rockstar. He always pushed himself within sex, his money, and lifestyle. He was eccentric and built a massive tower named Fonthill Abbey in which he lived and housed he large art collection for a time. In 1825 most of fontill actually collapsed due to the poorly built tower not being able to hold its weight. Beckford's notable work is a gothic novel called Vathek first published in English in 1786 based around a king with supernatural powers in Arabic state the books includes not only the supernatural but also hell and demons.

The most notable gothic works were those from the 1750's much like the works of Ann Radcliffe, Jane Austin, Matthew Gregory Lewis, Emily Bronte there have been a load of notable authors from the 100 years after Gothic first really came noticeable.




 

Victorian Freak Shows

"FREAK SHOW"what do I think of when I hear those two words now? Well to be honest I don't; the idea of a freak show isn't something that would be popular now as its seen to many as a discriminating act for us the audience to be in awe and laugh at disabled people... which in many cases it was. When I think of freak show now I think either of American Horror story's most recent series or a bearded lady; many of whom I've seen on trips to Southampton city centre.

In England freak shows during the Victorian era weren't a new thing in fact they had first become popular in the 16th century. A famous example of early though notable freak shows were that of Italian brothers Lazarus and joannes Baptista Colloredo, two conjoined brothers from italy; upon research though it amazed me to learn that one of the brothers didn't ever speak or open his eyes he was just attached to his brothers chest... this twin was clearly not formed properly. Imagine having another person hanging out your chest, apparently Lazarus would hide his brother under his cloak in public to avoid attention. Like the twins the people in the shows were so popular because people at the time didn't see the people as having a disability or people that were different from them. Remember the Victorias loved horror and the idea of adventure seeing someone who wasn't the "Norm" would of been as exciting to many as a roller coaster is to us now.

Joseph Merrick in 1886

 http://asketchofthepast.com/2013/11/03/a-romantic-imagination-joseph-merrick-at-bedstead-square/

Some freaks shows moved on from the name and were described as "Exhibits" but actually they were still the same, some exhibits like that of Joseph Merrick "Elephant man" were exhibited with him as the sole subject being shown. It was in 1884 that Tom Norman created the exhibition in the west end for Joseph. EVERYONE has heard of the elephant man theres even been a film about him with Antony Hopkins. 

Freak shows were made to scare the audience in 1842 P.T Barnum decided for some strange reason to create a 'creature' for a freak show in America named the "FeeJee" mermaid. No the mermaid was not real. In fact the "Mermaid" was infact the head of a monkey with the tail of a fish, I can not imagine the smell. P.T Barnum's freak show also included a man named general Tom Thumb who was 25 inches tall (his wedding photos are awfully sweet I can't deny). Queen Victoria herself actually met Tom during a European tour, the pair in all met 3 times and actually made Tom a extremely popular man from his royal meetings. The queen was amused.

Tom Thumb "Charles Stratton" on his wedding day 1863

                                      http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/tom-thumb/

Its mad to think a freak show would even include some who was heavily tattooed, If a victorian freak show enthusiast time travelled to now they would have hundreds of people fitting that criteria. 

There are many famous freaks that are still recognised today though have long since passed; much like Joseph Merrick who I'd say is the most recognised certainly to a English audience. Mary Ann Bevan was shown in freak shows due to actually having a syndrome called acromegaly she was shown as "the worlds ugliest women" but in fact she had previously worked as a nurse before getting the syndrome and having to support her family after her husband died. sad. 

Chang and Eng are another pair that are well know, the Chinese siamese brothers who settled in america and married local women, funny and strange fact the wives of the pair didn't get along after a couple of years so they moved into different homes and the twins would spend 3 days with each wife.   The twins in fact were only joined by a infused lived and some skin, if they were born 100 years after doctors now would of been able to separate. 

Titled "Chang" & "Eng" The world renowned Siamese twins, 1869

Titled Royal American Midgets 1880

Titles Watson's Living Curiosities 1885

I'm glad that in England we haven't carried on this into another century. 

You hear about people now who have caught some unfortunate illness now much like Dede Koswara i.e. the Tree Man who literally has warts that look like tree bark engulfing his skin I'm glad now that doctors try to help these people not cart them into shows for our entertainment just to earn a living.


All posters were found at http://www.bl.uk/learning/artimages/bodies/freak/gallery/freakgallery.html

Estella & Pip

"Estella tells Pip of her engagement to Mr. Drummle" - Harry Furniss

Oh Estella why do you taunt young Pip so? Estella is a hard character not only has her upbringing been that of little fun having been adopted by Miss Havisham but Estella is also a man hater much like Miss Havisham. The plan all along when realised was to create almost a younger self of Miss Havisham in the way Estella declares she doesn't love Pip and is a hard person to talk to. Miss Havisham had always planned Pip to fall in love with Estella, for Estella to break his heart; after years and years of Pips torment as a child being Estella's play mate, Pip has his chance though a benefactor to become a gentleman. We all know though Pip's benefactor turns out to be not only Estella's real father but escaped convict Abel Magwitch.

Estella in Great Expectations is described as a 'beautiful and self possessed child' and as a adult she is 'proud and refined', she's a love/hate character due to the fact she's so rude to Pip yet you can't but feel sorry for her; she's had the most deprived childhood having a adoptive mother who has clearly lost herself, she always refuses her attraction towards Pip yet she shows a numerous amount of times to hold Pip in a higher regard then any other man. In a massive way Miss Havishams project of making Estella into this man hating heart break doesn't work, even though Estella holds a lot of presence and desires for gentle-men, Estella doesn't want to break Pip's heart.... thats why she would always refuse him even when he begs her not to marry Bentley Drummie. Estella doesn't know what love is.

Pip to Estella -
“Out of my thoughts! You are part of my existence, part of myself. You have been in every line I have ever read, since I first came here, the rough common boy whose poor heart you wounded even then. You have been in every prospect I have ever seen since – on the river, on the sails of the ships, on the marshes, in the clouds, in the light, in the darkness, in the wind, in the woods, in the sea, in the streets. You have been the embodiment of every graceful fancy that my mind has ever become acquainted with. The stones of which the strongest London buildings are made, are not more real, or more impossible to displace with your hands, than your presence and influence have been to me, there and everywhere, and will be. Estella, to the last hour of my life, you cannot choose but remain part of my character, part of the little good in me, part of the evil. But, in this separation I associate you only with the good, and I will faithfully hold you to that always, for you must have done me far more good than harm, let me feel now what sharp distress I may. O God bless you, God forgive you!” 
― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

Estella and Pip have a lot in common. Estella wasn't born into a wealthy family just is a convicts daughter and the lawyer Jaggers maid Molly. Estella's mother herself was saved from the gallows after murdering a woman in a fit of rage. Pip himself lived with his horrible sister and her gentle husband Joe after his own parents died, his life was to become a blacksmith like Joe, but upon meeting Estella and falling for her he decided he wanted to become a gentleman.

Pips growth into a gentleman is long through his search into the gentleman he had always aimed to be he learns many life lessons, not only are many of the actual 'gentleman' rude and snobbish (no sense of money) In fact Pips only friend is Herbert whom he lives with in London for a time. Pip along his way not only learns all the tricks of becoming a gentleman he actually finds himself; he is unique in the fact he has come from nothing. At first Pip almost becomes one of those arses of a gentleman he meets down the club; he never writes back home to Joe or even his friend Biddy. He forgets who he is. It isn't until Joe visits Pip in London and is deeply upset with who the man he cares for deeply has become selfish and exactly like the men he had despised upon coming to London. Pip also strikes up a friendship with John Wemmich, Mr.Jaggers clark and his father "The Aged P" - (aged parent) he visits his house in Walworth named "Castle" - note the clear romantic influences of Dickens with this inclusion, the fact the character has a replica of a small castle in a central part of london. Pip realises his mistakes and goes to Biddy to propose after he finds out Estella is to many Drummie though he finds she's now engaged to Joe! Its clear at the start of the book Pip could of easily married Biddy but he chose Estella and London instead (A adventure much like the Victorians loved)

Magwitch (Estella's father) in fact brings the story to a whole near the end being Pips secret benefactor and also being Estella's father whom thought she was dead, its on his death bed in jail that Pip decides to tell Magwitch in fact his daughter is alive (Pip figured out a while ago). Magwitch and Miss Havisham are linked in the fact that Magwitch was also wronged but her "love" Compeyson who basically caused Magwitch to get a twice as long prison sentence then himself (CON MAN)

Miss Havisham had planned for Estella and Pip to never be together she failed, the death of Estella's horrible husband (its implied Drummie was abusive during their relationship) and Miss Havisham herself finally brought Pip back to her. I'm glad Charles Dickens created his ending but the original one he wrote. In a way Dickens does leave it open but with the quote from Pip below we can hope that finally Estella & Pip get their happy ending together.

"no shadow of another parting from her" 

Victoria's 40 year mourn

Victoria and Albert with their nine children

Victorian was a remarkable queen not only has she had the longest reign of any queen but she also was the queen of one of the most changing era's like the expansion of the British Empire.

Victoria married young at 21 to her first cousin Albert on February 1840, she actually was the one that proposed which of course is unusual but Victoria of course was already a powerful women having already been in her reign as the Queen before marrying Albert. In the last couple of years Victorias diary was released and her writings of her wedding day & night were publish.

"My dearest dearest dear Albert sat on a footstall by my side, and his excessive love and affection gave me feelings of heavenly love and happiness, I never could have hoped to have felt before! 

"He clasped me in his arms, and we kissed each other again and again! His beauty, his sweetness and gentleness – really how can I ever be thankful enough to have such a Husband!"

  An Extract from her Diary 

So much love was there.. Victoria & Albert went on to have 9 children. You can see the clear wealth divide in the fact Victoria had so many children, living children. 3 died whilst Victoria was alive but she was survived by 6 children, 40 grandchildren and 37 great-grandchildren WOW.

Victoria and Albert were married for twenty-one years in total until Alberts death on December 14th 1861. Albert had stomach issues causing him immense pain; first alerted in the august of 1859 when he was taken seriously ill with stomach cramps. Even until his death Albert was taking on duties including a lot of the queens as she lost her mum earlier on in the year and was deeply upset. Albert was diagnosed at the time just before his death with typhoid fever though many have pointed out he was infact ill for two years this might of indicated cancer or even crohn's disease.

Victorian like any grieving wife took the news of Albert dying badly in fact she became isolated in fact so much that the republication party became more popular due to the monachys popularity falling  over time. The queens priority had become mourning Albert, it honestly makes me sad researching about Victoria and Albert because she was so devoted to him. 

As we know Victoria's were big on death they were superstitious and also very interesting in the other side, to mourn Albert Victoria had many statues of Albert made; Such as the Albert memorial in Kensington gardens. A beautiful salute to Albert with his golden statue. 

The Memorial was completed in 1876, 15 years after Alberts Death

                 http://www.travelsignposts.com/London/sightseeing/albert-memorial-london

Many questioned Victorias sanity over time, she would instruct her servants to bring hot water to Alberts dressing room for his morning shave, The servants also had to dress in black for a number of years after his death.  Victoria was nicknamed the "Widow of Windsor" (Albert died at Windsor Castle) Mostly due to Victoria wearing black for the rest of her life. 

Of course Victoria had her country, her family even grandchildren a little later on but there is is a massive tragedy in losing Albert so early almost, surviving another forty years without the man who was clearly her rock. Yes maybe she did loose her sanity slightly in the loss; I certainly would if the father of my nine children died at 41.

I can't end this post on such a negative about Victoria after Alberts death and the first few years of over coming the initial mourning, Victoria increased the British Empire. The woman was nearly assassinated twice by mad men, she was solid. Victoria also had a close friendship with scotsman John Brown he was her person servant there were great speculation of Victoria's relationship with him. Maybe they loved each other after all Albert had died and Victoria was still a young women, 40 years alone? maybe not, but its clear Albert was mourned every day by Victoria with her dressing. Victoria would never recover from loosing him.

Victoria herself died at the old age of 81 at Osborne House in the Isle of Wight. Victoria is buried beside Albert in the mausoleum Albert designed at Frogmore Gardens 

Together again

http://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-weddings/british-royal-weddings/wedding-of-queen-victoria-and-albert-of-saxe-coburg-and-gotha/

In the clip below its really interesting to actually be about to watch her funeral procession, being 1901 film was a recent thing as it was first starting to develop in the 1890's. 

Gothic

What started "gothic"? How did some body come up with the idea using double exposure or even dressing in a certain way? What made the Victorian era so special to be known as the gothic horror period.....

The term of gothic normally is thought about from a genre of literature the term is a reference between a combined idea of creating horror & romance just like to many now with 50 shades of grey, gothic literature created a desired feeling with the Victorians a side delved into ones darker side; love and horror feeling that give you that raised hair feeling or fluttered heart beat. One of The first and really memorable novels to really take of within the gothic horror genre was the novel by Horace Walpole "The castle of Otranto" in 1764. The book was a success and sparked a literary genre; though Walpole is seen to many as the pioneer start to the genre we can also look at authors like Ann Radcliffe & Edgar Allan Poe for a early example of Gothic writing.

The gothic genre of literature took a different turn in the later 18th & 19th century the need for gothic horror became vastly popular. in the Victorian era the whole idea came from the quest of finding the "sublime" the idea of creating something much like a strong sensation for the reader a feeling of ecstasy within a book or even a location, the sublime wasn't just for literature but was also wanted in the Victorians lives.... In one lecture my tutor spoke of "fake ruins" how the Victorian's would create places of ruin just for a atmosphere; many of these would include churches (of course) these were invented to provoke a sense of adventure and even fright to an interested victorian. Remember this was a time before film (cinemas were created in the 1890's) had been created.

Gothic Literature also follows certain motifs such as strange places & power and constraint even love... just look at Bram Stokers Dracula with Dracula's love for Mina the re-encarnation of his lost long Elisabeta. The idea of the "sublime" within gothic literature was popular finding the ecstasy between the two main components that create the genre ROMANCE & HORROR.
Within the victorian era the whole sublime idea was extremely important; people had become more adventurous sure but that still meant that within literature it was heavily needed. A book even now takes us away from everything, it sparks our imagination. In the video below professor john Bowen talks of how people became fascinated with the idea of experiencing things that aren't in the usual categories things that aren't seen as beautiful or ordinary in daily life, writers started imagining what its like to be in the middle of a storm or on some snowy mountain.
The idea of creating a strange place that  Much like the victorian's needed gothic horror sparked something in its audience that changed peoples thinking Just look at Miss Havisham's decrepit old house lay in a complete shambles for twenty years. What do I think of when I think of gothic literature.... Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) or Bram Strokers Dracula (1897)

the clip below is Professor John Bowen talking in detail of key motifs held within gothic novels, including the sublime, supernatural, strange places and the uncanny

Victorian's superstitions ways & Death Tokens

Mementos 

Victorias were collectors; when it came to deaths especially in a family victorians would go mad about preserving the memory of the departed. Mementos were extremely popular when it came to dealing with loss. Like a previous blog talks about the victoria's creation pieces of jewellery from the persons hair called hair work; many of these pieces are extremely beautiful even though the idea of them is mainly due to sad circumstances, the tradition of course of having someone closes hair isn't that strange, my own mother has a locket of my sisters hair in a locket from when she was a little baby (my sister had gorgeous red hair) Many Victorians would also actually buy hair to create a piece.

A mixture of hair colours 

                             http://www.corvusnoir.com/blog/2011/08/victorian-hair-jewelry.html

bell at the grave

Victoria's had a fear of waking up during being inside their grave; of course you hear these horrible stories of dead bodies moving like sitting up or flinching hands but this is usual explained with gasses being released.... ew. To many superstitious Victorians once being buried incase of a waking up the grave would be fitted with a bell incase the person woke up and could alert the grave diggers to being unearthed from the near death experience. Of course though did this ever happen? probably not regularly. The idea of a bell at the grave was called a safety coffin... I'm sure like the valentines card is to card companies the safety coffin was a big seller to the superstitious wealthy Victorias's. The safety coffin has had a few different forms over the years but the idea of a bell at the grave is very Victorian.

https://www.pinterest.com/islandpsycho666/bell-ringer/

Post Mortem

The unusual technique of photographing the dead in their last portrait. The photos usually consisted of children which isn't surprising as children's death rate was a lot larger then a fully grown adult. 

The photographs themselves are extremely sad to look at and some are a little disturbing.... it wasn't unusual for the photographs to be taken up to two whole weeks after death. The smell must of been extremely unpleasant. Post Mortem photos were usually for the wealthier classes as photography was an expensive art in the Victorian era. A lot of images involving babies would usual have a family member behind hidden holding the baby up in position.... so sad

Double exposure Photography 

EEEK

This new form of photography became increasingly popular in the Victorian era; of course the victorians superstitions of death became a hugely increased subject from the increase in gothic literature that spoke of ghosts and creatures of the night.  People were becoming more adventurous. It was Willian Mumblers first discovery of double exposure in the 1860's that brought about the idea of using double exposure in a supernatural way. Family members would be in one shot whilst the dead would be in a nothing image over; of course being supernatural lovers a lot of people would create shoots to look ghostly when the person modelling was actually just a actor or model. Actors themselves were also popular to be double exposed with. A lot of the photos created were meant to be hoax's that the public would believe much like many photoshop "Ghost" images we see now these photos were made to add paranoia to the already superstitious Victorian's.

Both photos were found on ......

http://www.slightlywarped.com/crapfactory/curiosities/2011/october/victorian_spirit_photos.htm

The Young Victoria MOVIE

"God save the Queen, God save the Queen" 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0962736/

Wow what a deeply movie and beautifully detailed film. The story of a young Victoria (Emily Blunt) and all her trials leading up to her coronation; how her marriage was planned from her birth secretly yet how after all and the plan succeeded in a way it failed deeply because of the devotion Albert & Victoria had for each other. This film will tug deeply on your heart strings especially if you know of Alberts tragic death at only 42......

The film itself explains the royal families bloodlines rooted in other countrys such as Belgium and Germany and how important it was to find successors within these circles such as Albert (Rupert Friend) who was Victorias first cousin. The Coburg brothers spent some time in England with Victoria as gradually Albert earned victorias love. Victorias uncle King Leopold of Belgium devised the idea of his nephew Albert marrying Victoria as it would secure a strong alliance with England and Belgium 

Queen Victoria herself was queen before she married which to many was revived with raised eyebrows as in one scene in the movie she questions if she actually wants to marry at all, Like Queen Elizabeth why can't see marry her country?  In one scene when Albert has just recently met Victoria referred to their lives as a game of chess; their lives are planned out before them but why can't they play the players? why can they not live how they want? Albert is a open thinker as his character is shown with planning and helping people the actual Albert was a brilliant man who had many goals and adopted important public issues like educational and the abolition of slavery. He also took the responsibility of running the queens household, estate & office. It actually saddens me how young Albert died not only did he leave his nine children behind but Victoria took her husbands death extremely badly and mourned him for the rest of her life. 

A realistic copy of Victorias actual wedding dress.

 http://www.eastsidebride.com/2012/04/seeking-victorian-wedding-earrings.html

The filming took place in locations of regency places Victoria herself would of been/lived. The costuming of the film is also perfect and detailed; upon research I learnt that not only was a academy award winning costumer (Sandy Powell) hired but Historical consultants. Note Powell has also worked on the resent and exciting release of Cinderella, Interview with a Vampire & Shakespeare in love all beautiful costuming without. Wow what an exciting job she must have.

The film won three awards winning best costume on two separate occasions and best make-up & hair; proving that this film did extremely well but is also a perfect watch for my terms work of "Gothic Horror" in Victorian Britain.

Watch the movie. Bring some tissue and be in awe of the beauty of the film. Out of five I'd give the film a High 4.