Legislation, Literature, People and Print: A Selected Timeline
1790
Thomas Bewick publishes The General History of Quadrupeds using his "white-line" wood engraving techniques.
Early 1800s
This is the literary era of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, Keats and Bryon.
1800
Most all paper made by hand.
1802
The Society for the Suppression of Vice is formed to stop the dissemination of obscene publications.
1804
The (Earl of) Stanhope press revolutionizes the printing press (whose form was nearly unchanged since Gutenberg) with the introduction of a cast-iron frame and lever printer.
1807
Stereotyping allows Cambridge to reprint schoolbooks.
Argyll Music Rooms open.
Fourdrinier paper-making machine appears in a form that has changed only slightly since this time.
1810
William Caslon's invention of sanspariel matrices for type.
1813
Gaslights in use in Haymarket Theatre.
1814
The steam press (though not adopted by all printers because of the cost) increases printmaking yield from 300 to 1100 copies an hour.
1832
The Penny Magazine from the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge features boxwood engraved illustrations.
Passage of Reform Act -- extending the vote to non-landed citizens. The lower classes are still excluded.
1835
Edward Lloyd publishes inexpensive reading material as an alternative to expensive triple-decker novels.
George Cruikshank publishes satirical cartoons in Comic Almanack
1836
Cruikshank illustrates Dickens' Sketches by Boz, which includes an engraving of "The Gin Shop."
Dickens' wildly popular serialized Pickwick Papers portends a revolution in (serial) fiction publication.
Reduction of stamp duty placed on newspapers (from 4d to 1d) to fight circulation of unstamped items.
1837
Queen Victoria assumes the throne. She marries Albert in 1840.
1839
Daguerreotype Photography.
Edward and George Dalziel form an engraving company. They are later joined by two other brothers, John and Thomas. The Dalziel Brothers produce both woodblocks and the illustrations on them, and employ other engravers such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti and John Everett Millais. They also aquire various periodicals over the coming decades.
1840s
William Dugdale, in publishing for approximately 20 years, is recognized as the greatest publisher of obscenity in London.
Edgar Allen Poe and Charles Dickens (7 Feb. 1812- 9 June 1870) are popular writers.
1840
Beginning of paper made from wood pulp, thereby reducing the cost of paper considerably.
Advent of adhesive penny stamps.
London has more than 1500 coffee houses where the working poor may buy and read penny publications.
1842
First issue of Illustrated London News.
Edward Lloyd begins publication of Lloyd's Weekly Miscellany
1845
Cremorne Gardens open.
G.W.M. Reynolds publishes The Mysteries of London, detailing the degraded lives of the poor.
1846
First rotary press.
Brontë sisters first published.
1847
The Communist Manifesto published.
1848
Revolutions across Europe.
Louis-Napoléon returns to France from England and wins election to head the Second French Republic.
Founding of The Pre-Raphelite Brotherhood of poets, painters and illustrators.
1849
Disraeli head of Conservative Party.
1851
Louis-Napoléon stages a coup d'etat when he is not allowed to run for re-election and declares himself Emperor Napoléon III of France.
The "Bloomer Costume" offers an alternative to conventional women's dress. Bloomer-inspired clothing will not appear regularly until late in the century when women take up athletics such as bicycling or rowing.
1853
The Crimean War (lasts until 1856.)
Gustave Doré commissioned to illustrate works by Lord Byron. Doré later illustrates the first edition of Poe's The Raven, as well as many of the best-loved titles in English literature. He also works for The Illustrated London News.
1855
Repeal of stamp duty on newspapers, resulting in a massive increase in serial printing.
1857
Obscene Publications Act. William Dugdale, publisher, is arrested in the same month the act is passed.
Advent of Matrimonial Causes Act, which gives women the right to sue for divorce through the courts in the case of adultery combined with either bigamy, cruelty, desertion or incest.
1859
Charles Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species By Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.
1860s
Wilkie Collins and Mary Braddock, among others, publish "sensational novels." Collins' Woman in White is considered the first of such fiction.
Large-scale adoption of mechanical typecasting. William Morris founds a design firm dedicated to craftsmanship like that found in the work of medieval artisans. His and others' ideas are called "The Arts and Crafts Movement."
1860
Photo-lithography.
Stereo rotaries allow for large-forme magazine plates.
1861
Repeal of Paper Duties, an excise tax on the production of paper.
Prince Albert dies after a visit to Bertie (Edward VII) concerning an indiscretion.
1863
Edward VII, Prince of Wales, marries Princess Alexandra of Denmark and sets up residence at Marlborough House.
George Purkess (fils) founds Illustrated Police News.
1864
Alhambra Theatre opens in the West End.
First Contagious Diseases Act, created to address rampant venereal disease in the armed forces. Only prostitutes are subject to this act, which denies them Habeas Corpus.
1865
Mark Twain begins his publishing career.
Alice in Wonderland published with illustrations by John Tenniel.
1866
Second Contagious Diseases Act allows the police to detain prostitutes for at least 3 months. Any women could be considered a prostitute and detained.
1867
Second Reform Act gives the vote to more working men.
Ally Sloper cartoons begin.
Proposal to extend the Contagious Diseases Act to northern England's civilian population.
1868-1874
Gladstone (Liberal Party) is Prime Minister of the UK.
1868
Obscene Publications Act defined as applicable to work that would tend to corrupt those susceptible to immoral influences. The Act is used to deny information about contraception to the working classes.
1869
Harriet Beecher Stowe publishes Lady Byron Vindicated, first serialized in The Atlantic Monthly, in which she accuses Lord Byron of incest.
Third Contagious Diseases Act allows the police to detain prostitutes for one year.
Support for regulated prostitution stops the extension of this act to northern England.
Formation of The National Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts and The Ladies' Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts, led by Josephine Butler. This association is also in response to the regulated prostitution supporters.
1870
Napoléon III deposed. He dies in England in 1873
Married Women's Property Act extends rights to women to keep a portion of their earnings.
The Mordaunt Divorce Case implicates Edward VII, heir to the throne, in adultery.
1870-71
Arrest and trial of Boulton and Park.
1871
Widespread use of mechanical wood pulp for paper in England.
1874-1880
Disraeli (Conservative Party) is Prime Minister of England.
1874
Prince Albert (Duke of Edinburgh) marries.
1876
Balham Murder.
1877
Penge Murder.
Victoria proclaimed Empress of India.
Bradlaugh-Besant trial for publishing Charles Knowlton's Fruits of Philosophy. The case is thrown out due to a technical issue.
1878
Madame Rachael sentenced to five years in prison, but dies in 1880.
The "Euston Square" murder trial results in no conviction for Hannah Dobbs concerning the murder of Miss Hacker.
The last of Marie Duval's signed Ally Sloper illustrations.
Argyll Music Rooms close.
1879
Josephine Butler publishes Social Purity
Zulu wars.
1880
Liberals regain parliament. The Marquis of Hartington requests that Gladstone serve as Prime Minister again. Sir Charles Dilke serves as President of the Local Government Board. He is widely assumed to be Gladstone's replacement in future elections.
The Rational Dress Society founded to promote sensible clothing rather than tightlaced corsets and heavy skirts.
1881
Mother Shipton's date for the end of the world.
1882
Zulu King Cetshwayo becomes the first Zulu to visit England.
1883
Widespread manufacture of chemical wood pulp paper in England.
1884
Reform Act. This third enfranchisement extends the vote to most working men.
1886
With the encouragement of Josephine Butler, W.T. Stead investigates and publishes articles on child prostitution and trafficking in the Pall Mall Gazette
Repeal of The Contagious Diseases Acts.
The Crawford Divorce case ruins Dilke's political career.
1887
Oscar Wilde writes reviews at the Pall Mall Gazette for the next two years.
1888
Jack the Ripper murders
1890 and into the early 20th Century
Height of the Art Nouveau style in illustration.
1891
Publication of an English translation of Engels' The Condition of the Working Class in England.
William Morris initiates The Kelmscott Press in response to mass production.
1893
Aubrey Beardsley illustrates Oscar Wilde's play, Salome.
1894
Oscar Wilde's series of trials ends in a conviction of gross indecency.
1900
Only 1% of paper made by hand.
1901
Death of Queen Victoria.
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