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The subject of this article is not considered Steampunk on its own, but relates directly to the history, culture, philosophy, technology or aesthetic of Steampunk.
This article is inspiration for steampunk. |
Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India
The Edwardian Era began with the coronation of Edward VII, 22 January 1901, but the end of the Edwardian era is not clear insofar as culture and the arts are concerned, even though the reign of Edward VII ended in 1910. The Edwardian Era was preceded by the Victorian Era.
Perceptions[]
Influenza[]
Of more importance than the World War I, insofar as bringing about real changes in human behaviour and outlook, was the outbreak of the so-called 1918 flu pandemic. This rapidly spreading outbreak of influenza was deadly. It started from an unknown location prior to 1918, possibly somewhere inside the Central Powers. It may even have been the inadvertent result of an attempt to infect livestock in the United States. It wiped out entire towns in the United States, Canada, and Alaska. It was and has been underreported for a variety of reasons, but it was possibly the single most frightening thing humanity has ever endured.
Dates the era ended[]
- 6 May 1910 -- The date Edward VII died.
- 14-15 April 1912 -- The year RMS Titanic sank. The sinking of Titanic was the pivotal event where humanity got its comeuppance and its overconfidence in the rapidly progressing technology of the time was finally shaken.
- 28 July 1914 -- The beginning of World War I.
- 11 November 1918 -- The First Armistice at Compiègne was declared (the commonly remembered end of World War I).
- 28 June 1919 -- The signing of the Treaty of Versaille, which formally ended World War I. From the perspective of a historian, this last date is the best of the various choices, because it is the year in which all the great changes the world over were made manifest.
Authors[]
- Robert Opie
- “Edwardian Scrapbook”
- Wendell Schollander, Wes Schollander
- “Forgotten Elegance: The Art, Artifacts, and Peculiar History of Victorian and Edwardian Entertaining in America”