Victorian Styles: Queen Anne, Italianate, Gothic Revival and Eastlake

J. M. Edgar, CRC

Photo: Nebraska Historical Society Italianate Style The 1869 Italianate house of Thomas P. Kennard is now the Nebraska Statehood Memorial. It is the oldest house in Lincoln's original plat still standing. The mansard roof and cupola are characteristic of the Italianate style. Gothic Revival: These styles are typical of post-Civil War 19th century American housing. The trend throughout the 19th century was toward more ornate homes showcasing the increasing wealth produced by the Industrial Revolution. The relatively simple gothic revival style was the first departure from the rectangular footprints of the 18th century. Its irregular shape, arched windows and steeply pitched roof, elaborate vergeboard trim along roof edges, high dormers, the use of lancet windows and other Gothic details heralded an break from the less elaborate architectural styles of the earlier period. Gothic Revival Style Late Gothic Revival house. Without the elaborate decoration, this style may be seen all over the Midwest as the "Folk Victorian" style (see below).

Queen Anne: Built from about 1870, they were built of stone, brick and wood siding, often featuring shingles and ornate exterior decoration. Queen Anne houses are typically associated with towers, turrets, wrap around porches, and other fanciful details. But, in fact, many such homes, especially those built without the aid of an architect, lacked elaborate ornamentation. Essentially, any Victorian Era home with a turret is probably going to be classed as a Queen Anne no matter the amount of decoration.

The style at its most extreme is characterized by overwhelming excess, featuring large projecting bay windows, towers, turrets, porches (often on multiple stories), balconies, stained glass decoration, roof finials and crestings, walls carvings and/or inset panels of stone or terra-cotta, cantilevered upper stories, acres of decorative trim, patterned shingles, belt courses, elaborate brackets, banisters and spindles — even the chimneys on Queen Anne houses were often spectacularly crafted.

Photo: Lancaster County Register of Deeds Queen Anne Style The "F"-Street Castle. This elegant Queen Anne in Lincoln's Near South neighborhood is being restored by its current owners. Charles Eastlake

The English architect and furniture designer never designed a house and hated the ornate Victorian style that bore his name. His furniture style, detailed in his very popular book Hints on Household Taste in Furniture, Upholstery, and Other Details, was actually a major rebellion against the hand-carved, overly ornate, overstuffed furniture of the Victorian era.

The book sparked the the "Eastlake Movement" away from elaborate Victorian ornamentation that lead ultimately to the American Craftsman style of very plain furnishings and architecture. Known as "Cottage Furniture" and "Modern Gothic", Eastlake furniture was designed to be be manufactured by machine in large quantities with flat surfaces and limited decoration so it was easy to maintain and clean.

But at the same time that furnishings were losing their fussy elaboration, houses were becoming ever more ornate. Adopting one of Eastlake's favorite decorations, the machine-turned spindle, builders added increasing amounts of adornment to their houses to the point where the ornate "gingerbread" became the defining characteristic of the architectural form that came to be known as the Eastlake style. In addition to all the other decorative elements, the Victorians painted their Queen Annes in a rainbow of colors. The fashion at that time was fairly dark colors, along the lines of what we today would call "Earth tones" — sienna red, hunter green, burnt yellow, muddy brown. Later owners often repainted the houses white. But in the 1970s a movement back to original color schemes began in Lincoln aided by a pamphlet on Victorian painting compiled by Ed Zimmer and published by the City of Lincoln, and today (at least in some parts of the city) Victorian houses sporting three or four bright colors are once again the norm rather than the exception. Today every major paint manufacturer offers charts of typical Victorian colors from which the aspiring Victorian colorist may choose.

Stick-Eastlake: The Stick-Eastlake Style, popular from about 1860 to 1890, is sometimes considered to be a High Victorian elaboration of the Gothic Revival style. The single most distinguishing feature of the style is small vertical, horizontal, or diagonal planks placed on top of the exterior walls. The style is often associated with houses featuring enormous, overhanging, second-story porches which led to the name "Swiss Chalet" houses. Photo: Lancaster County Register of Deeds Eastlake Style The Yates house. An example of the Stick or Eastlake Victorian style house elaborately decorated with spindles and other ornamentation. Elaborately decorated and very fanciful Stick houses are often referred to as the "Eastlake" style because of the lavish use of furniture designer Charles Eastlake's favorite ornamentation, the spindle.

Eastlake himself, however, detested the style and disavowed any association with it right up to his death in 1906. The elaborate Eastlake style is now virtually synonymous with the phrase "Victorian house", at least in the Midwest.

Shingle: The Shingle style is a muting down of elaborate Victorian fussiness that evolved from the vacation homes and hunting lodges of the well-to-do. It is considered by many to be the transition style between Victorian excess and the simple Craftsman and Prairie houses of the early 20th century. It is distinguished by the use of natural or single-color shingles as exterior covering and the lack of elaborate ornamentation -- the shingles are the ornamentation. Unlike most other styles, the Shingle style is purely American. It has no European antecedents. Photo: Nebrsska State Historical Society Shingle Style The Arthur C. Ziemer Shingle Style House in the Lincoln Near South neighborhood. Elements of the emerging Arts & Crafts Style can be seen in this late Victorian house.

Folk Victorian: While architects were building elaborate Queen Anne and Eastlake homes for the well-to-do, we "just folks" were also building houses and taking full advantage of the growing availability of consistent dimensioned lumber, inexpensive steel nails and the railroads to transport them from where they were made to where they were needed.

Photo: Lancaster County Register of Deeds Folk Victorian Style A Lincoln Near South Folk Victorian house in the Queen Anne style restored to Victorian colors. The modern windows have yet to be replaced with 2/2 double hung windows typical of the period. Unfortunately, the interior has been ruined by a succession of ill-conceived "remodels" that did away with the original ornate trim. Usually called "Folk Victorian", "Prairie Gothic" or "Frontier Victorian" and derived largely from the Gothic Revival style, they are overwhelmingly rectangular and symmetrical in shape with a low-pitched pyramid roof and extended eaves supported by brackets. Folk Victorians lacked the towers, bay windows and elaborate moldings of classic Victorian houses. There are at least five basic Folk Victorian sub-types in one- and two-story versions. Many were built out of kits supplied by Sears, Roebuck & Co. If you did not buy a kit, you used a plan from one of a number of plan suppliers. Virtually all made at least some use of the ornamental trim being mass produced and distributed to all corners of the continent by rail. Folk Victorian houses were adorned at minimum with flat, jigsaw trim made locally by the builder in a variety of patterns — mostly on porches and eaves. But many also had spindles, gingerbread and details borrowed from the more ornate Victorian styles. How much ornate detail was added by the builder most likely depended on the budget. Behind the trim and scroll work, however, a Folk Victorian is a simple, work-a-day, house: solid, practical and long lasting. Very long lasting. Folk Victorians were still being built in this area in the 1940s, and some built in the late 19th century are still in use. There are a lot of them in the Havlock/Bethany/University Place neighborhoods.

Victorian Interiors

A victorian parlor Rich colors, sumptuous fabrics, ornate decoration and overstuffed furniture is typical of high-style Victorian urban interiors. Country interiors were less elaborate. Victorian interiors were lush and ornate to match Victorian exteriors. However, there were often three levels of decoration in Victorian homes: Public rooms such as the drawing room or parlor were sumptuous, private family rooms were less so, but still quite ornate, while servants' rooms were spare. Decorative plaster, elaborate moldings and woodwork, and multi-hued bright colors were common. The Victorian era saw the first widespread availability of wallpaper, and it was used lavishly. The favored wallpaper patterns featured scrolls, vines and birds and were usually small-figured and finely detailed. "Fussy" is the word we Victorian Trim A bright, inviting sitting area. The interior finish is toned-down Victorian more suited to modern tastes. would use today. Inspired by the writings of Owen Jones (The Grammar of Ornament (1856)) the Victorians were uninhibited in their use of bold colors, elaborate ornamentation and deep, rich fabrics. Jones, inspired by youthful journeys to the middle east and India, advocated elaborate Moorish, Byzantine and Eastern ornamental themes. The decor was designed to create a feeling of comfort, therefore, the guests would chose to linger. Plaster or wood ceiling moldings were elaborately carved and painted in lighter tones taken from the color of the walls. Applied decorations were added to the ceiling, usually in the corners and around the chandelier.

Major public rooms such as the parlor were usually filled with furniture and show items until they could hold no more. The largest furniture item was the obligatory overstuffed sofa. Victorian chair and loveseat A typical Victorian era chair and matching loveseat. These are actually more comfortable than they look. Typically they were deeply tufted and buttoned medallion and serpentine- or camel-backed Queen Anne or Sheraton setees. Windows were heavily decorated. The drapes were usually made of white muslin for Spring and Summer and heavier sumptuous fabrics such as velvet and brocaded silk for Fall and Winter. Drapes were changed during the semi-annual Spring and Fall cleanings. Folded and held back with ropes or scroll shaped fitments and embellished with tassels, ribbons and festoons. Scrolled, scalloped or gilded valences adorned the tops and were usually made of velvet or lace.

In the early 19th century flooring was untreated, random-width pine planks. Toward mid century floors were starting to be painted and by the later decades oak, parquet and marquetry floors were coming into widespread use. Tile and stone were common in entries, kitchens, and late in the century, bathrooms. Oil cloth, what we now call linoleum, appeared in the 1870's and was in wide use by the turn of the century.

The Victorian Kitchen

Photo: Crabtree Kitchens Victorian Kitchen Country kitchen in the Victorian style with painted and hand glazed cabinets and soapstone countertops. Replace the huge wood-burning iron stove with a modern range and a Victorian kitchen would look familiar to all of us over 50. Some of the implements would be strange: the lark spit, sugar nippers, spice tin and marmalade cutter might be a little mysterious, but the iron skillets, brass pots, steel cutlery and chinaware would be old friends. Photo: Heartland Appliances Victorian Kitchen A Victorian-style urban kitchen featuring reproduction Victorian appliances from Heartland Appliances. Completely modern in function, these appliances incorporate Victorian style elements into appliances that did not actually exist in the Victorian Era, such as refrigerators and wall ovens.

There were cupboards and working tables, probably a sink or two maybe even a new Hoosier cabinet after the turn of the century. Keep in mind, however, that in the era of cheap labor, most cooking was done by servants. Anyone well-off enough to afford a Victorian house was probably also able to afford a cook. Kitchens, therefore, were usually not all that elaborate. Good thing, too, otherwise they would be expensive to reproduce. A Victorian kitchen would have a lot of overhead racks for pots and pans, and hooks and open shelving for cookware and dishes.

Cabinets: Typical Victorian cabinets have ornate raised panel doors, usually with a flat top and often with applied beading or other moldings. Rich, dark stained cherry, chestnut, elm, birch or oak cabinets are typical of urban Victorian. Light stained or A Kitchen in a Box — The Hoosier Kitchen Cabinet

Around 1899 J. S. McGuinn got an idea for a self-contained food preparation center by taking a baker's cabinet and compacting it into a practical work center. He founded the Hoosier Manufacturing Company to make them, and by 1920 his hoosier cabinets were in millions of American homes. Sold as timesavers for mom, but also, more importantly, sold on an early form of installment plan: $1.00 down and $1.00 a week, they were the kitchen revolution of a time before most homes had built-in kitchen cabinets. Hoosier Cabniets A Hoosier cabinet. This was the original organized kitchen. Flour, sugar, spices, pots, pans, bowls, utensils — everything needed by the busy cook in one attractive, well appointed cabinet. Later versions even included ant traps.

Four to five feet wide, with built in sugar and flour bins (including a shifter at the bottom), numerous drawers and shelves, spice jars, racks for pots, pans and bowls, and a zinc-lined bread box, the Hooser cabinet was virtually a compact kitchen in a box in which all of the clutter could be hidden behind attractive cabinet doors.

It captured the trend current at the time for a well-organized life ("a place for everything, and everything in its place") that also gave rise to the self-contained office, the Wooten Patented Cabinet Office Secretary. The original Hoosier spawned many imitators, some of whom were true innovators, including McDougall, Sellers, Napanee, and Castle — any of which, if in good shape, bring many, many dollars at antique sales today.

But, if you can't find a perfect match for your kitchen at the antique store, don't worry, we can build one for you to your precise specifications — and for quite a bit less money. Just contact us for more information. natural wood is unusual. For country Victorian, painted cabinets are the rule. Victorian Door Styles Typical Victorian cabinet door and drawer styles. Door styles and finishes can be mixed and matched for special effects. It is also not unusual to see painted and stained cabinets in the same kitchen. Cabinets should appear to be relatively massive — a feeling helped by heavy crown molding. Light and airy is not a Victorian characteristic. Some of the base cabinets should feature turned legs. Tall wall cabinets Victorian Resources

Victorian Interiors

Heartland Appliances, Inc.. Modern appliances with a Victorian look. (See photo above.)

Victorian Station. All things Victorian: architectural and interior design, the Victorian lifestyle and period literature.

Magnolia Hall. Reproduction Victorian furniture and accessories.

The Tin Man Reproduction pressed tin ceiling panels.

M-Boss, Inc. American made tin ceiling panels.

Decorating With Lace Victorian lace curtains.

Victorian Furniture Company. Reproduction Victorian furniture and accessories.

Victorian Collectables, Ltd. Victorian era wallpapers.

Publications

Victorian Homes Magazine

 should go all the way to a standard 8-foot ceiling (which ideally would be pressed tin) or to the 8-foot level of a higher ceiling. The upper shelves are used to store rarely used items. There are no soffits. The wall behind the counter top was often paneled with simple tongue and groove boards installed vertically.

Countertops: Victorian countertops were usually marble, wood or zinc-plated steel. Individual worktables or Hoosier cabinets might have enameled steel tops. In fact zinc and "porceliron", a type of enamel steel, are more or less the defining work-surface treatments of the era. Granite, soapstone, manufactured stone or stone-look laminates would also work. Tile and Corian®-type solid surfacing do not. An island in a Victorian kitchen can be made to look like a tall table with a chopping block top. We have also seen concrete countertops used to good effect in Victorian-style kitchens.

Flooring: For flooring, random-width plank wood, or true linoleum are the first choices. Ceramic and stone are OK, if not strictly to period. Vinyl sheet flooring can simulate linoleum and using modern laminate flooring to simulate the look of wide plank wood is also an option. The Victorians were vigorously innovative, so, although bamboo and cork were not floorings of the period, probably no Victorian would object to their use.

Moldings: Photo: University Museums Victorian Utensils Some common Victorian kitchen utensils. An ornate compound crown molding is almost required. But this heavy crown treatment assumes you have a typical 9 or 10-foot Victorian ceiling. If not, then some aesthetic adjustment must be made. Base molding should be deep, at least 6", and at least 3/4" thick. By contrast, modern base molding is usually just 3/8" thick and not more than 3-1/4" deep. Chair rails are rare, but picture molding, usually incorporated into shelving, is used to hang pans and other kitchen implements at eye level.

Appliances: Modern appliances tend to look out of place in a Victorian kitchen — more so than is the case with any other kitchen style. We cannot do without them, so special efforts need to be made to disguise them. Modern appliances with a Victorian look are available. Modern refrigerators and dishwashers can also be used if hidden behind panels that match the cabinetry.

Most Requested Feature: A separate butler's pantry is the most requested Victorian kitchen feature. In the original Victorian house, the butler's pantry was a transition room between the hot, bustling and noisy kitchen and the quiet, cool dining room where the family gathered for dinner. It stored dinner- and servingware and often doubled as a wet bar after dinner where gentlemen guests gathered. In its modern incarnation, the butler's pantry often contains a sink and dishwasher for quick after-dinner cleanup, and the liquor and wines. An undercabinet refrigerator is also convenient. It replaces the sideboard for storing dinner ware and serving pieces, linens and silverware.

A Victorian Bathroom

The Victorians invented the modern bath with running water, porcelain fixtures and a flushing toilet. And to celebrate their inventiveness, proceeded to add as much fuss and detail as they could to the room. Victorian bathrooms, expecially in England and the Northeast United States are elaborate fanciful rooms.

The Clawfoot Tub

Clawfoot Tub A refurbished clawfoot tub with telephone faucet in bright chrome. They defining characteristic of a Victorian bath is a large clawfoot tub. If you are lucky, your Victorian bathroom already has one, so all we need to do it get it cleaned up and refinished. But if not, there are plenty of local and national sources of new and refurbished tubs. New tubs have some nice features, including compatibility with modern plumbing fixtures, and can include a whirlpool or jacuzzi.

Victorian-style Drop-in Tub A modern drop-in tub made to look Victorian. Unfortunately, if you have the original clawfoot tub, you probably also have the original plumbing. Plan on replacing most of this. It may be lead pipe, or more probably in this part of the country, galvanized steel. But in either case it is well beyond its useful life and needs to go. The faucets that work with clawfoot tubs are special. The most compatible with modern bathing are the "telephone" style arrangments with separate hand shower. (See: Sources of Supply: Faucets for detailed information on faucet features and manufacturers). But if the clawfoot does not fit your room, any modern drop-in fixture will work provided the enclosure built to house the tub is Victorian in style.

Fortunately, selecting a finish for your Victorian faucets is fairly easy. There are two, bright chrome and polished brass. You can, of course, go with hand-rubbed oiled bronze or some other more modern finish, but it will likely seem out of place.

The Victorian Vanity

Victorian vanity To a Victorian this vanity would probably seem understated and sparsely decorated. A Victorian vanity was not just a place to wash up, but also a place to display wealth and taste. It is almost impossible to get too garish. Original vanities would have been fine wood sideboards, comodes or dry sinks adopted to use as a vanity by the addition of a bowl and plumbing. Marble, especially white marble, was the typical top, but other stones and porcelain tiles were also used. Tile in small formats: 2" x 2" mosaics and smaller were favored.

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