Latter Day Victorians

This poem occurred to me as I looked through a set of swatches for some William Morris fabric patterns, dating from the late 19th and early 20th century. Perusing some of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection of William Morris works, which ranged from poetry and book illustration to fabric, wallpaper and tapestry, one cannot help but be amazed!

When I mentioned my penchant for William Morris to my sister, she remarked that wallpaper is coming back. A quick perusal of interior decorating and furniture sites seems to confirm this hypothesis.

The Victorian to Edwardian mentality, painted in broad brushstrokes for our own age, clearly has some mysterious appeal. I’m sure I am not alone in indulging recklessly in the spawn of Downton Abbey, the latest of which, Hotel Portofino, set in Italy, is awash in William Morris prints.

I could not help but wonder in what other ways we might we emulate our predecessors. They marveled at the new speedy technology of trains, yet still clung tight to uniform rules of dress and codes of etiquette. Like them, we enjoy thrilling new powers, granted by our technology, yet can’t help but feel nostalgia for a simpler, quieter, slower, more orderly time, when it was still possible to be alone.

Thank you for stopping by to read!

Latter Day Victorians,

Technology defines us.

Mad for fashion, spouting memes,

We put the Past behind us.

Rejoicing in Modernity–

Our chip-inspired steam–

We plummet with increasing speed.

No time, for in-between.

Latter Day Victorians,

With patterns on the wall,

Advice surrounds us, for our sins,

And keeps us feeling small

And modest. And Democracy,

Though showing signs of wear,

Is worn about, like mourning gear,

To shame the others there.

Latter Day Victorians,

We leave our calling cards,

And splash about our so-called brands.

And, held in high regard,

We come to tea and gossip,

While the plants consume our men.

I fear for when the boom, it busts.

What Fate awaits us then?

Copyright 2022 Andrea LeDew

For a picture of mourning in Victoria’s time, read Victoria and for a look at the importance of sovereignty in the modern day, read Sovereign. For an essay on my passion for all things English, and on the importance of travel, read Who Only England Know.