Illusionist and conjurer Henry Evans, or "Evanion" (his stage name), was quite a force to be reckoned with in the second half of the 19th century. During his long career, he used his theatrical experience to collect a vast amount of printed ephemera related to entertainment and everyday life in Victorian England. Evan's collection was purchased by the British Museum in 1895, and recently the...

Part social history, part public documentary, Peter Higginbotham has created a Web site devoted to the workhouse, a feature of the English landscape for over two hundred years that provided employment for the destitute in return for board and lodging. Through a series of primary documents, including the Poor Laws of the 19th century, Mr. Higginbotham offers a descriptive and nuanced perspective on...

An offshoot of the VICTORIA discussion list and hosted by Indiana University, this site is designed to assist researchers, teachers, and students studying nineteenth century Britain. Users will find a number of helpful items such as a guide to Victorian holdings in selected archives, book reviews on-line, bibliographies, a guide to using the new British Library, tips on planning a research trip,...