1/ The speed of motor cars, at this time, was 12mph. Mrs Dorothy Levitt drove at 91mph and set a world record. In her day to day life, she had to pay fines many times for breaking the speed limit. She joined the Automobile Association and she recommended other women to join also. The people of this association warned drivers near speed traps.
2/ Therefore, the Automobile Association finally took place in 1903. The 1st president was Baroness Campbell de Laurentz.
3/ The women of this Era loved to engage themselves in many outdoor activities like skating, golf, playing tennis,cycling, and many other sports.
4/ The Edwardian woman wore several layers of clothes. The effect was a beautiful line but very "cumbersome" for the lady to put on and take off every day, not to mention moving around in.
5/ Most of the Edwardian houses had electricity. However, a few still thrived on gas lighting.
(Info from Edwardian-era-facts html)
The Edwardian furniture which included wardrobes and cabinets, served a dual purpose. Along with the obvious storage purpose, these also decorated the room where they were placed. Edwardian wardrobes and cabinets were mainly made of wood, mahogany being the most frequently used wood.
The Edwardian times were such that beauty and fashion were given a lot of importance by both men and women. But people were sensible in their dress styles and did not flaunt over the top dress codes.
Some of the finest craftsmen and their works arose in this period. Some of their works have found their way into modern times, with the elegant timeless designs becoming an inspiration for things that adorn the living rooms of the modern day.
These things range from modern fashion wear to utility products, lifestyle items right down to the furniture.
(Info from Edwardian-era-facts html)
The Edwardian Era is synonymous with prosperity, rich art and fashion. King Edward VII, in his reign between 1901 and 1910, brought about some noteworthy changes in the field of art and fashion. Life for the rich revolved around social parties and banquets. Those who attended these parties were elaborately dressed men and women with high society manners and a polished outlook towards life.
The Edwardian Era is said to have set landmarks in the field of art and fashion. Both men and women entertained themselves with various sports.
Hunting was one of the most popular of men's sports. Special hunting trips were organized for the elites where they took the joy of hunting prey. Goose hunting shooting contests were also organized.
Although banned today, fox hunting was a part of this "sport" for the rich.
Fresh colours were in and the dark shades of the Victorian Era were no more. Complex designs also gave way to simpler designs which became very trendy. Women of this Era started getting an equal say in the socio-economic scenario of the United Kingdom, for the first time in history.
The demise of child labour was another feather in the cap of the Edwardian Era. The judiciary and the executive both started treating child labour as a severe offence.
Much has been said about the developments of the upper and the middle classes, however the same does not apply to the working class. The grinding poverty of the working class met with negligible development as their situation appears to have worsened during the Edwardian Era.
(Info from Edwardian-era-facts html).
The years 1901 - 1910 are generally thought of as the Edwardian Era, named after King Edward VII, but the spirit of the time transcends certainly to his successor, King George V. Despite the last 6 years or so of Queen Victoria's reign being technically "Victorian", these last 6+ years have a distinctly "Edwardian" feel. Perhaps because Queen Victoria was less and less in the public eye, and her son and heir began to have an impact on society. It is also notable that The Great War (World War One) is generally thought to fit into the Edwardian Era.
The Edwardian Era was different in its morals, having a more lax standard in its code of conduct. During this Era we start to see more and more implementation of the standard inventions used in our Era today.
By the late 1890's, it became more common for homes of the middle classes to have electricity, telephones, indoor plumbing and even a car.
The Edwardian Era is one of the finest examples in modern history of an Era truly in the crux of two very different worlds --- the Victorian Era and the Edwardian Era. The Edwardian Era was filled with technological advancements and social change. It was also the end of an age, a farewell to life as everyone knew it.
(Info from Two Worlds)
During this Era, not only were people physically more mobile and able to engage with the wider world, the world was becoming more accessible inside their own homes. The turn of the Century saw the establishment of newspapers that we are still reading today.
Harmsworth's Daily Mail was followed by Pearson's Daily Express, quickly followed in 1903 by a new sort of newspaper, the Daily Mirror. This was a newspaper reaching out to those in the population for whom literacy was a challenge and though it was painful to acknowledge, it was meant, in terms of its style, to appeal to female readers. The name "Daily Mirror" was in itself attractive to female readers.
In many ways Harmsworth was simply building on a style of journalism that already existed. He used the ideas from the weekly "Tit-bits" publication, small snippets of gossipy news, easily digested and wove the idea into a daily newspaper reporting on news from home and abroad. It had an instant appeal and although some may have been scandalized, the effect was the delivery of easily digested news into ordinary working class households.
(Info from Intriguing History)
