Victorian Hairstyles

I have been doing some research into Hairstyles that would have been popular throughout the Victorian Era. Although Make Up was generally something women did not want others to know they wore, kept very modest and plain Hairstyles were often fairly elaborate and women took much pride in the style and appearance of their hair. because it would have been expensive to have ones hair styled regularly and due to the fact that having your hair done would have been fairly time consuming it was usually only wealthy women who could afford to have their hair in the latest styles on a regular basis, they would also have a great deal more spare time to pass sitting around whilst a hairdresser perfected their hair.
Popular hairstyles during the first years of Queen Victorias reign differ greatly to those from the later victorian years, some of the key features of these earlier styles included

• Sausage curls framing the face (usually to just below the chin)
• Hair covering ears
• Centre partings
• Bonnets

Here re some examples of 1830's hairstyles 

 Hair styles throughout the Victorian Era often included lots of neat tight curls, these could be added to up

Bibliography

‘1830s in Western fashion’ (2014) Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1830s_in_Western_fashion (Accessed: 6 February 2015).

(no date). Available at: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/507217976752990426/ (Accessed: 6 February 2015).

Citation

(‘1830s in Western fashion’, 2014)

(no date)

Estella Great Expectations

Estella in great expectations is the adopted daughter of the eccentric character Miss Havisham. Miss Havisham brings her up possibly to cure her loneliness but also to manipulate and use as a weapon to break Men's hearts as she has been left bitter and twisted after being jilted at the alter by Compeyson. Estella is a beautiful young woman whom Pip soon falls in love with, yet because of the nature of her upbringing she grows up to become a cold hearted, human being detached from any emotion not only from men but also her own adoptive mother Miss Havisham. Although unable to love, Estella does warn Pip of her lack of ability to feel and her talent for toying with others emotions. Estella has been portrayed by many actresses over the years in many adaptations of the novel some of whom include; Holliday Granger and Kim Thomson.


https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=actresses+estella+great+expectations

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/g/great-expectations/character-analysis/estella

Gothic Architecture and Cemetery

Here are a few snaps of  Gothic Architecture At Salisbury Cathedral and in a Victorian Cemetery in Salisbury.

Salisbury Cathedral is a Medieval Anglican Cathedral in the small city of Salisbury Wiltshire. The Cathedral features Early Anglican Gothic Architecture, the typical Gothic style features include, pointed arches and windows and Lancet shapes to be seen throughout the building.

Cross style Graves stone in the Victorian Devizes Road Cemetery, Salisbury

More Gravestones in the Cemetery

Salisbury Cathedral from the left hand side.

A close up view of the spire

Gothic style arches above door at the front of the Cathedral. With Gargoyles placed between the arches and in the corners of the stone masonry, Gargoyles were used to decorate Cathedrals and Churches because they served two purposes, Firstly they were believed to scare away evil spirits and secondly they were a clever way of diverting water away from the stonework, in heavy downpours the water will spout out of the Gargoyles mouths and away from the building.

Gravestone in cemetery, unsure of the date as the writing was fairly worn away

The original Victorian Chapel built when the Cemetery was opened in 1856

Victorians and Death, Superstitions and Rituals

As previously discussed throughout this blog The Victorians were pretty much obsessed when it came to the the subject of death. On one hand they were extremely apprehensive and paranoid about dying, on the other however they were intensely curious about what was to be the destiny that lay ahead for the spirit of the deceased. Victorians routinely held seance's where they would use methods such as the oui ja board to attempt making contact with the other side.

As a result of their overwhelming fear of death The Victorians would carry out a bizarre chain of rituals following the death of a family member Many to prevent the possession of other family members or visitors to the house and others to ensure the spirit of the deceased did not get left behind, trapped in the house and unable to cross over. whilst others were merely to ensure that the dead were in fact dead and not comatose thus preventing them from being buried alive.
some of these rather odd superstitions and practices included:

•  Curtains wouuld be drawn and the clocks stopped at the time of death.
• Mirrors were covered with drapes to prevent the soul of the deceased becoming trapped in the looking glass.
• Laurel, Yew or Boxwood wreaths were hung on the doors of the house to let passers by know that a death had occurred
• Members of the family would take turns to watch over the body until burial, this served two purposes firstly if the "dead" were in fact only in a coma and happened to wake up or show signs of life it would prevent them being buried alive and secondly it would allow more travelling time for mourners who wished to attend the funeral. as the body would usually be lying in the cellar or basement of the home for a fair few number of days during this "waking" period mourners would send gifts of flowers and candles which would be placed around the body to mask the smell of the decaying corpse.
• Bodies were always removed from the house feet first so that the recently departed would not look back and beckon a family member to join them.
• Family photographs in the house were placed facing down to prevent the spirit of the deceased possessing another family member.
• Bodies were buried with a bell situated next to the site of the grave, a long rope would run from the bell down through the earth and into the coffin just in case the deceased awoke.

As peculiar as these practices may seem there is yet another rather morbid tradition that Victorians preceded  to carry out following a death. This tradition is called Post Mortem Photography, which was... well basically to photograph the deceased. unlike in today's society where taking staged photographs of our deceased loved ones dressed up in their Sunday best and propped up using furniture or discretely being held in position by a hidden, still live, relative would seem completely bizarre and extremely creepy, Post Mortem Photography was nothing out of the ordinary during the Victorian era. 

This strange type of photography did however serve a purpose as it helped aid the grieving process allowing relatives to visually remember their departed loved ones. Memorial photographs would have held extreme sentimental value and would have been regarded as some of the most precious belongings in a home. 

The deceased would have been photographed dressed in their finest attire and held in position by means of a stand provided by the photographer or kept firm in position by a live person who could usually be concealed by a curtain, chair or some other type of furniture featured in the background scenery. In some photographs living relatives would pose with the deceased as a family portrait, in some cases coffins would have been included in the frame and in event of the death of a child the child may be placed in position with a favourite toy to remember them as they were when they were alive.

Family portrait style Post Mortem Photograph featuring two infants in Coffins

Deceased Child positioned with doll

http://io9.com/the-strangest-tradition-of-the-victorian-era-post-mort-472772709

http://www.victorianweb.org/victorian/religion/spirit.html

http://friendsofoakgrovecemetery.org/victorian-funeral-customs-fears-and-superstitions/

http://occultvictorians.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/death-is-only-beginning.html

Goth Subculture

Goth subculture is a contemporary subculture of the modern western world, generally considered as a middle class subculture which began in Britain during the early 1980's. Goths pride themselves on their sense of individuality and their freedom to visually express their identity with their alternative, historical and fantasy animated sense of style. Influenced by Gothic horror literature, incorporating elements of Renaissance and Victorian era fashion, and often inspired by fictional creatures such as vampires.

Gothic inspired fashion image wearing a Victorian style, black, Gothic, mourning dress and black lace umbrella, usually a popular Gothic style accessory

Another Gothic fashion image. Black Victorian style dress, possibly a wedding dress

Possibly more suitable for daytime Gothic woman wearing Gothic black corset, Shiny faux leather type fabric usually popular in bondage type outfits and Gothic inspired clothing

A Goth Man and Woman showing off their beautiful Victorian inspired look.

the quote underneath refers to judegments or misconceptions frequently associated with Goth subculture.

Goth values derive from their romanticized and apolitical view of the world, disconnecting themselves from the more materialistic, judgmental and mundane views of the general widespread society.
During the early 1980's, when the punk rock scene, which had previously been the predominant influence of British youngsters began to diminish, the goth subculture began to emerge. Goths have traditionally had an interest in subjects such as the possibility of life after death, and the world of the supernatural, with the major influence of "Goth" of course being Gothic Horror literature, hence their name. Goths generally consider themselves to be emotionally deep and often openly romantic. They therefore enjoy expressing this emotion through art forms such as music, poetry, art in the traditional sense wether it be drawing/sketching/painting, theatre and acting,
 Due to members of this subculture openly having an interest in horror literature and the world of the supernatural, not to mention their dark/alternative/horror inspired appearance, it is a sad but common occurrence that Goths are frequently mistaken for or labelled as satanists, and associated with extreme morbidity and having an obsession with death. However this is NOT the case, of course it cannot be ruled out that there may be the minority of Goths who do develop such  interests or beliefs, but satanism is no more prevalent in Gothic subculture than any other, and whilst accepting death as inevitable and viewing it as beautiful and sometimes even romantic or poetic, again this does not mean the whole basis of Goth culture is built around the subject or that they are obsessed, it is purely one of the beliefs they hold which disassociates or detaches them from the "norms" of mainstream society, and can unfortunately result in them becoming targets of victimization of uneducated opinions and judgments.
Artistic and historical influences most commonly associated with goths include Gothic rock music, Victorian era fashion, Victorian and Gothic architechture, Gothic horror literature, Horor films, Edwardian fashion and Renaissance fashion, the use of contrasting dark and pale cosmetics, leather and bondage type attire.

Bibliography

Norm (sociology) (no date). Contents. Available at: http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Norm_%28sociology%29.html (Accessed: 30 January 2015).

Part 1: The Goth culture: Quotations; why discuss Goth culture here? Description. History. (no date). The Goth culture: its history, practices, stereotypes, religious connections, etc. Available at: http://www.religioustolerance.org/goth.htm (Accessed: 30 January 2015).

Sedgwick, M. (2013) ‘How are goths and emos defined?’, BBC Magazine, 4 April. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22026044 (Accessed: 30 January 2015).

Tickle, L. (2011) ‘Growing-up for goths’, The Guardian, 24 October. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2011/oct/24/goth-culture-research (Accessed: 30 January 2015).

(no date a). Goth Subculture and Cultural Theory. Available at: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.fereday/macs01.htm (Accessed: 30 January 2015).

(no date b). Extract from Goth. Identity Style and Subculture by Paul Hodkinson. Available at: http://www.paulhodkinson.co.uk/publications/gothextract.htm (Accessed: 30 January 2015).

(no date c). Social Norms, Sociology Norms, Basic Concepts of Sociology Guide. Available at: http://www.sociologyguide.com/basic-concepts/Social-Norms.php (Accessed: 30 January 2015).

Bibliography

Linking Horn: Links for the Jolly Red Man (no date). Linking Horn: Links for the Jolly Red Man. Available at: http://www.steffmetal.com/linking-horn-links-for-the-jolly-red-man/ (Accessed: 30 January 2015).

Norm (sociology) (no date). Contents. Available at: http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Norm_%28sociology%29.html (Accessed: 30 January 2015).

Part 1: The Goth culture: Quotations; why discuss Goth culture here? Description. History. (no date). The Goth culture: its history, practices, stereotypes, religious connections, etc. Available at: http://www.religioustolerance.org/goth.htm (Accessed: 30 January 2015).

periodvintages (no date). periodvintages. Available at: http://periodvintages.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/gothic-victorian.html (Accessed: 30 January 2015).

Sedgwick, M. (2013) ‘How are goths and emos defined?’, BBC Magazine, 4 April. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22026044 (Accessed: 30 January 2015).

Tickle, L. (2011) ‘Growing-up for goths’, The Guardian, 24 October. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2011/oct/24/goth-culture-research (Accessed: 30 January 2015).

Veracious and Goth (no date). Veracious and Goth. Available at: http://veraciousgoth.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/goth-confessions.html (Accessed: 30 January 2015).

(no date a). Goth Subculture and Cultural Theory. Available at: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.fereday/macs01.htm (Accessed: 30 January 2015).

(no date b). Extract from Goth. Identity Style and Subculture by Paul Hodkinson. Available at: http://www.paulhodkinson.co.uk/publications/gothextract.htm (Accessed: 30 January 2015).

(no date c). Social Norms, Sociology Norms, Basic Concepts of Sociology Guide. Available at: http://www.sociologyguide.com/basic-concepts/Social-Norms.php (Accessed: 30 January 2015).

(no date d). GOTH.NET - What is Goth? Available at: http://www.goth.net/goth.html (Accessed: 30 January 2015).

(no date e). Available at: https://www.pinterest.com/Doctoredlocks/goth-hair/ (Accessed: 30 January 2015).

Citation

(no date a)

(no date b)

(Sedgwick, 2013)

(Norm (sociology), no date)

(no date c)

(Part 1: The Goth culture: Quotations; why discuss Goth culture here? Description. History., no date)

(Tickle, 2011)

(no date d)

(periodvintages, no date)

(Linking Horn: Links for the Jolly Red Man, no date)

(Veracious and Goth, no date)

(no date e)

(no date d). GOTH.NET - What is Goth? Available at: http://www.goth.net/goth.html (Accessed: 30 January 2015).

Citation

(no date a)

(no date b)

(Sedgwick, 2013)

(Norm (sociology), no date)

(no date c)

(Part 1: The Goth culture: Quotations; why discuss Goth culture here? Description. History., no date)

(Tickle, 2011)

(no date d)

Victorian Fashion

In this post I will be discussing fashion during the Victorian era, Queen Victoria reigned England fro 1837- 1901 and during this time fashion evolved much to reflect the attitudes present in society at the time. prior to Victoria's rise to the throne, British fashion was heavily influenced by the french, however once in power Victoria soon because a fashion idol.
the fashion of Victorians evolved through a range of unique yet typically Victorian styles, which can be broken up into phases to make the understanding of the changing fashions more simple to understand.
During 1840 - 1855 The in style dresses during this 15 year time period would have been the crinoline period. this phase was named after the stiff rigid petticoats worn by women to shape out the bottom halves of their dresses. materials that would have been used to create this cage like petticoats included whale bone and metal so they would have been extremely uncomfortable to wear.
Bodices and corsets were also used as methods of giving shape to womens bodies and creating the desired waistline for the period. shorter corsets were used during this phase simply to allow women to be able to walk and move without to much restriction on the hips.

A crinoline cage petticoat, which would be worn as an undergarment to create shape in the wide bottomed dresses associated with the crinoline period.

This is what the dresses would have looked like with the cage worn underneath. the small waistlines would have been created using corsets although unlike later Victorian fashion it was not popular to have these corsets tied up very tightly. although they created shape it was more natural than the waistlines to come in later years.

First and Second bustle period 1870-1890

once again expectations of society dictated women's fashion, there was even a book written in  1872 called The Ladies Book of Ettiquette which enlisted the requirements of women's fashion according to the activities and social situations they should find themselves taking part in. Some of theses activities mentioned in the book include; going to market, visiting new brides and mourning. Queen Victoria herself was in a state of mourning for 10 years due to the death of her beloved husband Prince Albert in 1861.

Suddenly During the first bustle period the textile industry in Britain began to really take off and garments became more elaborate than ever before. Dresses began to become embelleshed with ruffles of excess fabric and colours became brighter and far more adventurous than in previous years due to the newly manufactured synthetic dyes which were available.
However the First Bustle Era gets its name from the Newly shaped cages that were worn. As women were becoming more society and embarking on new ventures such as travel which was becoming increasingly popular for the wealthiest of society they needed a solution for the now impractical shaped crinoline cages. Therefore the latest fad in Victorian fashion was the Bustle cage. Unlike its predecessor the new Bustle cage was much narrower with an extended curve at the rear, giving it a much more curvacious and elegant appearance.
Just as in the Crinoline phase corsets were still a popular undergarment however the length of the corset had increased allowing them to flatten the stomach and create a longer waisteline.

Some examples of the bustle shape 

Typically dresses of this time would all be sleeved some wrist length and others which would end just below the elbow (3/4 length as known today) Necklines came in a few different variations such as rounded square and v-neck. As mentioned above dresses were becoming more and more extravagant with lace, trimmings, peplums and layers of fabric and trained follwing beind the bustle.

The second Bustle 

By the 1880's women were becomg more and more frustrated with the equalities of society and were starting to take up activities which had previously only be carried out by men such as bike riding, and frequent travelling therefore they were in need of a dress which allowed them some freeddom in terms of movement and this became known as the Second Bustle Era. The second bustle allowed women to be much more flexible in terms of everyday activities whilst remaining elegant.

Turn of the Century Victorian to Edwardian 1890-1900
One noteable change concerning women and the new rights and expectations surrounding them was that women (working class) were more commonly expected to do just that and work. Women and children now held a vital role in the workplace most commonly in fabric/cotton factories in fact during this period more than 60% of work staff in the loom factories were women, thus fashion again had to adapt to allow women to carry out the everyday duties expected of them in the work place. bustles were not favourabvle due to impracticality in the workplace and were swiftly fazed out and replaced by more simply silhouette shaped gowns, and interchangeable bodices and skirts.
However the popular silhouette for the wealthy women of Britain at this time, was that of the hour shape. Whilst elegant and womanly eccentuating a woman's natural curves and femininity the hour glass shape did have less desirable long term effects that arose from wearing the tight lace and heavily boned corsets which forced the women into the upright, petite waisted hourglass form. Corsets during this period were so tight and restricting that they actually caused a malformation of the ribcage bones permanently changing the shape of the womens body, there have even been reports of digestive problems and restricted blood flow caused by overly tightened corsets which commonly resulted in women fainting.

This image shows the malformation of the ribcage

 as result of wearing and over tightened and stiff corset

When creating film and television series in todays world it is extremely important for the costume designers to be as historically accurate as possible to give the production a feel of authenticity. One of todays popular television series set in the Vitorian Era is that of Sky Atlantics horror themed Victorian drama Penny Dreadful. This series however is not meant to be a true reflection of the era which should be pretty obvious considering it features an expansive range of Ghouls and Demons, Zombie like/other earthly like, non human entities, many of the characters throughout the series have been based on either real life Victorians such as Jack The Ripper or famous characters from Victorian Gothic horror literature such as Mary Shelly's Dr Victor Frankenstien and Dorian Grey. So it is fair to say that the costume department wanted to be as authentic as possible when creating the wardrobe for the shows characters as the story is set in 1981 and features Vanessa one of the lead female roles sporting a smaller Second Bustle style gown embellished with an intricate lace design. Another character whos fashion sense reflects true Victorian accuracy is that of Brona Croft a Victorian prostitute, who is often seen wearing low cut, cleavage revealing, neckline dresses and heavier brighter pigmented make up typically associated with "unfortunates" to which prostitutes were commonly referred to at the time.  In addition to this, although the wardrobe department aim to create historically precise garments for the period in which the tale is set, they also make slight adaptations to the attire to reflect each characters personality, which aids in re-telling their individual and personal stories in a visual sense. For example the character of Vanessa, whom has the ability to see into the world of the supernatural through visions which frequently feature spiders. To reflect her supernatural abilities her garments have been tailored to include subtle decoration using web like patterns within the lace trimming, along with orb shaped designs.

The character of Vanessa from Sky Atlantic television series Penny Dreadful. Wearing a typically Victorian style garnmentdecorated with spider web patterned lace and orb shape designs

Bibliography

Jarrett, S. and M.Ed (no date) History of Fashion and Dress- The Bustle Era. Available at: http://www.maggiemayfashions.com/secondbustle.html (Accessed: 26 February 2015).

Bibliography

Exploring the Myths of Corsets II | Yesterday’s Thimble (no date). Available at: http://yesterdaysthimble.com/articles/corset-myths-ii/ (Accessed: 20 March 2015).

Laverty, L. C. (no date) Penny Dreadful: Dressing the Monsters of Victorian London |. Available at: http://clothesonfilm.com/penny-dreadful-dressing-the-monsters-of-victorian-london/35116/ (Accessed: 20 March 2015).

Legacies - Work - England - Lancashire - Factory work in Victorian Lancashire - Article Page 1 (no date) BBC undefined. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/work/england/lancashire/article_1.shtml (Accessed: 20 March 2015).

Citation

(Legacies - Work - England - Lancashire - Factory work in Victorian Lancashire - Article Page 1, no date)

(Exploring the Myths of Corsets II | Yesterday’s Thimble, no date)

(Laverty, no date)

Citation

(Jarrett and M.Ed, no date)

Aging skin/Miss Havisham theatrical make up practice at home

Here are some images taken using my phone (not great quality) of practising theatrical Miss Havisham ageing make up using Both my Kryolan grease based foundadtion palette, Kryolan camouflage concealer palette and Supracolour palette.

Gothic inspired make up

Here are some Gothic Horror/Gothic subculture style inspired eye make up looks I have been creating in my spare time. I have used purple and black to produce a dark outer lined over exaggerated Gothic subculture inspired look, but at the same time deliberately choosing purple and black products as they are often colours associated with death, magic and the supernatural. To create this make up I have used my Kryolan eyeshadow palette, along with some Eyelure strip lashes, MAC eyebrow pencil in warm brunette and Maybeline gel eyeliner in black.

Something that I continually need to practice if I am to improve my make up designs is the application of strip lashes which I find extremely difficult not only on other people but even on myself. I also think I could improve my shading technique, however I believe this is hindered by my impatience. I need to learn to perfect one part of a design before getting bored and moving on the the next step.  

The darker side of Victorian England

One of the things that would have made the Victorian era so perfect for the authors who wrote the classic Gothic Horror literature was the fact that everyday society in Victorian England presented some rather dark and peculiar behavior, although purely down to a lack of understanding and knowledge and partially down to religious beliefs the morbid and bizarre beliefs of the Victorian era would have provided some great inspiration for Gothic horror writers of the time.

Modesty privacy and etiquette were all extremely important to Victorians. Queen Victoria was said to live her life in a way that provided a good example for her subjects. topics such as romantic relationships and sex were never to be discussed in public. Relationships between unmarried young adults during the Victorian era were very different to the goings on of today, dating consisted of young males taking supervised visits to a young woman's home or going out for walks in large groups, again this enabled the coupe to be watched over by their elders. young couples who were courting were never to be left unsupervised, women were to dress modestly and wear minimum amounts of make up as heavy use of cosmetics was frowned upon by anyone of middle or higher class as it was associated with women of the night and actors who were also looked down upon by society.

however the as strict a they may have been in what was classed as decent material for disscussion in public, the Victorian era actually saw a slight shift in what was considered acceptable to read and watch  for entertainment. Prior to Queen Victoria's reign a number of famous texts and plays were supposedly amended by a man named Dr Thomas Bowdler in order to edit out words, conversations or topics which were deemed "unsuitable for family reading" women in particular would have been kept form reading or seeing any woks that discussed subjects like adultery due to the fact that the Victorians were very strict Christians. Censored or "sterilized" versions of famous works such as Othello by Shakespeare and The history of the decline and fall of the roman empire by Edward Gibbons were corrected so to say, via the removal or adaptation of inappropriate subjects and or phrases so that the works may then be considered clean, allowing them to then be read by Victorian families. However During the reign of Victoria a number of new authors created works which challenged the moral ideals which had previously been in place and romanticism and horror began to become popular in literature with authors such as Mary Shelly penning classic Gothic Horror novels such as Frankenstien.

Not only were there advances and changes in literature during the Victorian era there were a number of so called medical and scientific developments one of the most commonly associated with that of the Victorians was the rise of Victorian "lunatic asylums" as they were first known, which by today's standards and with much more advanced medical science we know the treatment of patients in these institutions was inhumane as well as useless (as the experiments and treatments carried out did not work) the stories and images of these buildings and the knowledge of what was carried out inside these "hospitals" is another reminder of the dark, morbid and somewhat bizarre ways of the Victorian society. due to the grim goings on associated with the treatment of mental health during our Victorian past, these Mental asylums and tales of haunting's in such places are often featured in today's horror stories and have become popular settings for horror film and t.v story lines.

Not only were the Victorians obsessed with death and fearful of mental illness, their strange almost dark behaviors did not end there, a common (and cruel) form of entertainment for the Victorian public during this period was to go to circuses or for a more unpleasant term "freak shows" to gaze at other human beings born with abnormalities or who were able to do at the time what would be described a un-explicable things with their bodies (what would now be known as contortionists) not only did people stand and stare at the acts but they were told fascinating morbid but almost always fictitious stories about how they came to be, merely thought up by the creators of the show.

Bibliography

Facts on Victorian England Culture (no date). Facts on Victorian England Culture | The Classroom | Synonym. Available at: http://classroom.synonym.com/victorian-england-culture-22777.html (Accessed: 25 January 2015).

G.M.W.R.A.G. (no date). Minutes of the May 2012 North West Mental Health Welfare Rights Advisers Group. Available at: https://gmwrag.wordpress.com/2012/06/11/minutes-of-the-may-2012-north-west-mental-health-welfare-rights-advisers-group/ (Accessed: 25 January 2015).

London By Gaslight (no date). Posts about Mental Health on London By Gaslight. Available at: https://londonbygaslight.wordpress.com/category/health/mental-health/ (Accessed: 25 January 2015).

Mental: A History of the Madhouse, BBC Four (no date). 2014-08-27T00:00:00Z. Available at: http://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/mental-history-madhouse-bbc-four (Accessed: 25 January 2015).

Parker, O. (2011) ‘The metamorphosis of Shelley’s Frankenstein’,Culture, 23 February. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/8343915/The-metamorphosis-of-Shelleys-Frankenstein.html (Accessed: 25 January 2015).

Science Museum. Brought to Life: Exploring the History of Medicine.(no date). Glossary: Available at: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/themes/menalhealthandillness/mentalinstitutions.aspx (Accessed: 25 January 2015).

The Victorians: Art and Culture (no date). Monday, 4 October 2010. Available at: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-victorians-art-and-culture (Accessed: 25 January 2015).

Victorian freak shows (no date). Victorian freak shows. Available at: http://www.bl.uk/learning/artimages/bodies/freak/freakshow.html (Accessed: 25 January 2015).

Citation

(Facts on Victorian England Culture, no date)

(The Victorians: Art and Culture, no date)

(Science Museum. Brought to Life: Exploring the History of Medicine., no date)

(Victorian freak shows, no date)

(G.M.W.R.A.G., no date)

(Mental: A History of the Madhouse, BBC Four, no date)

(London By Gaslight, no date)

(Parker, 2011)

Actresses Who Have Played Miss Havisham On Film

This posts is a brief overview of past portrayals of the Miss Havisham character from film and television productions created 1934- 2012

Florence Reed 1934
The 1934 Version of Great Expectations was filmed in the USA, there were 4 stylists on set in the make up/hair department they were, Otto Lederer as assistant make up artist, Jack. P Pierce as the make up artist, Margaret Donovan the hairstylist and William Ely as the make up assistant. Vera West was the Costume designer for the production.

Martita Hunt 1946
The 1946 version of the story was filmed in the UK, it went on to win two Oscars for Best Cinematography in black and white and Best Art Direction - Set Decoration (black and white) the make up and hair department for this production consisted of two men; George Blackler and Ernest Gasser.

Margaret Leighton 1974
This Version of the novel was a T.V movie. the Costumes were designed by two people Joan Bridge and Elizabeth Haffenden.

Jean Simmons 1989 who had previously played Estella in the 1946 film
This adaptation of Great Expectations was made as a T.V series, Jean Simmons appeared in all 6 episodes. The series was nominated for four Primetime Emmies one of the nominations being for Outstanding Hairstyling For a Miniseries. The Hair and Make Up Department consisted of two people; Eithne Fennel as Hairstylist and Eddie Knight as the Make Up Artist.

Joan Hickson 1981
Filmed as another T.V miniseries this version covered the whole story in 12 episodes. The Make Up Artist for the series was Gwyn Arthy.

Anne Bancroft played a Character called Ms. Dismoor in a modern version of the Great Expectations set in New York City

Charlotte Rampling 1999
this 1999 T.V Movie won a BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design and was nominated for and award in Best Make Up And Hair but unfortuneately did not win. It was also nominated for a further 8 awards in different areas of filming including Best Photography and Lighting.

Gillian Anderson 2011 BBC version of Great Expectations
Gillian Anderson is most famously known for her role in the hit American T.V series The XFiles. The Make Up Department for this production consisted of 12 people; Nicky Lissner as assistant make up artist, Adele as Firth make up artist 3 episodes, Chris Lyons for special effects and teeth, Luca Saccuman as a hairstylist for 3 episodes, Kristin Chalmers - make up designer, Micheal Byrne- prosthetic technician, Darlene Forrester- make up and hair artist 1 episode, Kristiyan Mallet- prosthetics 1 episode, Roo Maurice- Crowd make up artist, Luisa Ridge -  hair and make up artist, and Sian Wilson  -  additional make up and hair artist.

Helena Bonham Carter 2012

Helena Bonhan Carter won two awards for this production including  a Beijing Film Festival Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Beijing Student Film Festival Award again for Best Supporting Actress.

Bibliography

Anne Bancroft Photo (no date). Anne Bancroft as Mrs.Dinsmoor in Great Expectations Picture - Photo of Anne Bancroft - FanPix.Net. Available at: http://fanpix.famousfix.com/0019632/015086343/anne-bancroft-as-mrs-dinsmoor-in-great-expectations-picture.html (Accessed: 23 January 2015).

Dickens, C., Mitchell, C. and Trotter, D. (2003) Great expectations. United Kingdom: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated.

‘File:Miss Havisham film Martita Hunt.jpg’ (2012) Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Miss_Havisham_film_Martita_Hunt.jpg (Accessed: 23 January 2015).

Friends of Oak Grove Cemetery (no date). Victorian Funeral Customs and Superstitions. Available at: http://friendsofoakgrovecemetery.org/victorian-funeral-customs-fears-and-superstitions/ (Accessed: 23 January 2015).

Global, I. (2011) Gillian Anderson, Helena Bonham Carter and Miss Havisham on film, Culture. 2011-11-22. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/8907506/Gillian-Anderson-Helena-Bonham-Carter-and-Miss-Havisham-on-film.html?image=12 (Accessed: 23 January 2015).

Havisham back story gives Dickens’s twisted jilted spinster a soul(no date). Havisham back story gives Dickens’s twisted jilted spinster a soul. Available at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/havisham-back-story-gives-dickenss-twisted-jilted-spinster-a-soul/story-fn9n8gph-1226531465099?nk=c648e7ab0025c27680c47f89cc6747f4 (Accessed: 23 January 2015).

(no date a). Available at: http://moviespictures.org/movie/Great_Expectations_1934 (Accessed: 23 January 2015).

(no date b). Request Rejected. Available at: http://www.thecityreview.com/greatex.html (Accessed: 23 January 2015).

Citation

(Dickens, Mitchell and Trotter, 2003)

(Friends of Oak Grove Cemetery, no date)

(no date a)

(no date b)

(Global, 2011)

(Anne Bancroft Photo, no date)

(Havisham back story gives Dickens’s twisted jilted spinster a soul, no date)

(‘File:Miss Havisham film Martita Hunt.jpg’, 2012)

Miss Havisham

Miss Havisham is one of the most prominent characters from the Charles Dickens novel great expectations, in a way she is the link that ties the story together as an eccentric, bitter and slightly,  actually... very unhinged fifty something, who despises men after being jilted at the alter by the love of her life as a young woman. Unable to move on she endevours to make it her lifes mission to watch men suffer by breaking their hearts using her adopted daughter Estella as her tool of punishment. although slightly unbelievable due to her overly eccentric ways she is a fantastically interesting character to examine. Charles Dckens paints a fabulous picture with words, of a woman who is clearly psychologically damaged and can not let go of the past, as she hides herself away from the world greiving for the man who broke her heart and the life she once dreamed of which will now never become reality, still wearing the now tattered, torn and discouloured wedding dress she was wearing the day she was left.
it is in chapter Eight of the novel where pip first encounters Miss Havisham, his first statement being that she is he strangest woman he has ever seen or will ever see. Initially he describes the manor in which she is dressed, it is clear to him that she is wearing a bridal dress complete with a veil and flowers, although it takes a minute for the realization that something is not quite right, as she is in-fact an ageing woman rather than a youthful bride. It is at this point where he continues to describe her corpse like appearance, withered and white, like a wax work or skeleton.
"In an armchair, with an elbow resting on the table and her head leaning on that hand, sat the strangest lady I had ever seen, or shall ever see.
she was dressed in rich materials - satins, and lace, and silks - all of white. Her shoes were white. and she had a long white veil dependent from her hair, and she had bridal flowers in her hair, but her hair was white. Some bright jewels sparkled on her neck and on her hands, and some other jewels sparkling on he table. Dresses, less splendid than the dress she wore, and half packed trunks, were scattered about. she had not quite finished dressing for she had but one shoe on - the other was on the table near her hand -  her veil was but half arranged, her watch and chain were not put on , and some lace for her bosom lay with those trinkets, and with her hankerchief, and gloves, and some flowers, and a prayer book, all confusedly heaped about the looking glass.
I saw that everything in my view which ought to be white, had had been white long ago, and had lost its lusture, and was faded and yellow. I saw that the bride within the bridal dress had withered like the dress, and  like the flowers, and had no brightness left but the brightness of her sunken eyes. I saw that the dress had been put upon the rounded figure of a young woman, and that the figure upon which it now hung loose, had shrunk to skin and bone. Once I had been taken to see some ghastly waxwork at the fair, representing I know not what impossible personage lying in state. Once I had been taken to one of our old marsh Churches to see a skeleton in the ashes of a rich dress that had been dug out of a vault under the Church pavement. Now, waxwork and skeleton seemed to have dark eyes that moved and looked at me"
it was when I was stood before her, avoiding her eyes, that I took note of the surrounding objects in detail, and saw that her watch had stopped at Twenty minutes to Nine, and that the clock in the room had stopped at Twenty minutes to Nine.
 something interesting which Pip pints out in his description of the room is the fact that not only had Miss Havisham's watch stopped at Twenty minutes to Nine but the clock in the room had also stopped at the exact time. It would have been an extremely unlikely coincidence that this would have happened, so it must be assumed that Miss Havisham had manually stopped the time on both the clock and the watch at the same time herself. As it happen,s the Victorians had a number of bizarre rituals which they carried out upon mourning the death of a loved one One of which happened to be stopping all the clocks in the home at the time the exact time deceased had passed away. As we know Miss Havisham was never able to get over the shock and pain of being left at the alter was this her way of grieving for the lost relationship? Mourning for the man who left her as though he had died.

Bibliography

Anne Bancroft Photo (no date). Anne Bancroft as Mrs.Dinsmoor in Great Expectations Picture - Photo of Anne Bancroft - FanPix.Net. Available at: http://fanpix.famousfix.com/0019632/015086343/anne-bancroft-as-mrs-dinsmoor-in-great-expectations-picture.html (Accessed: 23 January 2015).

Dickens, C., Mitchell, C. and Trotter, D. (2003) Great expectations. United Kingdom: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated.

‘File:Miss Havisham film Martita Hunt.jpg’ (2012) Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Miss_Havisham_film_Martita_Hunt.jpg (Accessed: 23 January 2015).

Friends of Oak Grove Cemetery (no date). Victorian Funeral Customs and Superstitions. Available at: http://friendsofoakgrovecemetery.org/victorian-funeral-customs-fears-and-superstitions/ (Accessed: 23 January 2015).

Global, I. (2011) Gillian Anderson, Helena Bonham Carter and Miss Havisham on film, Culture. 2011-11-22. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/8907506/Gillian-Anderson-Helena-Bonham-Carter-and-Miss-Havisham-on-film.html?image=12 (Accessed: 23 January 2015).

Havisham back story gives Dickens’s twisted jilted spinster a soul(no date). Havisham back story gives Dickens’s twisted jilted spinster a soul. Available at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/havisham-back-story-gives-dickenss-twisted-jilted-spinster-a-soul/story-fn9n8gph-1226531465099?nk=c648e7ab0025c27680c47f89cc6747f4 (Accessed: 23 January 2015).

(no date a). Available at: http://moviespictures.org/movie/Great_Expectations_1934 (Accessed: 23 January 2015).

(no date b). Request Rejected. Available at: http://www.thecityreview.com/greatex.html (Accessed: 23 January 2015).

Citation

(Dickens, Mitchell and Trotter, 2003)

(Friends of Oak Grove Cemetery, no date)

(no date a)

(no date b)

(Global, 2011)

(Anne Bancroft Photo, no date)

(Havisham back story gives Dickens’s twisted jilted spinster a soul, no date)

(‘File:Miss Havisham film Martita Hunt.jpg’, 2012)