Claw feet tubs are a Victorian standard in bathroom fixtures.
Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901 and, her empire spanned more than 25 percent of the world. This time is known as the Victorian era. The Victorian era is known for lavish excess that influenced every aspect of life, including home d cor. Victorian bathrooms are no exception. With plumbing growing more available, Victorians splurged on bathroom d cor. Today, reproduction as well as antique fixtures can be incorporated into your Victorian-style bathroom.
Ornate Mirrors and Frames
Victorians used ornate gold frames on botanical prints, still life paintings, and portraits. Frames were thick and highly decorated. Often gold gilt was applied to the frames, depending on the owner's wealth. Bathroom mirrors ranged from the very plain, in perhaps a servant's room, to the very ornate. Oval, rectangle, square, the frames shapes were varied. Frames were often hung from ribbons or wires, suspended from heavy wood molding along the top of the walls. hung over dry sinks in bathrooms lacking indoor plumbing, and over sinks in modernized bathrooms. A bathroom mirror could be flanked by gas light fixtures, or later in the period, electric lights.
Fixtures
Claw feet bathtubs remain one of the predominant fixtures of Victorian bathrooms. Claw feet bathtubs are made of porcelain or cast iron. Cast iron bathtubs can be painted or enamel-coated. The claw feet were ornate, and some tubs also featured raised iron embellishments around the tub itself. Light fixtures ranged from simple glass globes to ornate stained glass. Many light fixtures were gas, or later the fixtures were converted to electric. Sinks varied in design. Pedestal sinks of white graceful porcelain were a variety of heights. Sinks inserted into wood chests and cabinets were also seen, along with wall-mounted porcelain and iron sinks with exposed pipes underneath. These exposed pipes led to curtains being installed around the sink to conceal the pipes beneath. Shower curtains were suspended from circular rods and the curtains were often made of heavy, beautiful fabrics. Toilets weren't left behind in the luxury department. Wood tanks and accents on chain pull toilets were often made of mahogany. Floors were of tile, marble and inlaid woods.
Asian Themes
Queen Victoria ruled over India, Hong Kong and other Asian countries, opening up trade routes that increased the supply of exotic goods to England. Asian themes involving the use of bamboo, lacquered furniture, and oriental rugs were popular. Bathrooms could feature oriental rugs and sinks set in black lacquered wood cabinets. Silk fans and oriental silk wall d cor could have graced the walls of a Victorian bathroom. Tassels and gauzy fabrics, as well as heavy velvets and tapestries, would have been intermingled with figurines of ivory or porcelain with an Asian slant. The Victorian era was a time of eclectic style.
Victorian Scrap Art
Scrapbook making was a popular Victorian hobby. Advertisers supplied free trade cards featuring flowers, birds, children and other romanticized images that were glued into scrapbooks. Boudoir screens, also called room dividers or room screens, were often covered with these images. Reproduction Victorian scrap art is available for use in craft projects such as decoupaging a wood room screen, or applying with wallpaper paste to the wall of the bathroom itself. Seal paper scrap applied to bathroom walls or screens to be used in a humid bathroom with a waterproof sealant.
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