What Did Victorian Ladies Drink?

When Brian Harrison wrote Drink and the Victorians he was not particularly concerned with the motives of alcohol consumers and many subsequent historical studies followed suit. The Victorians were however concerned with the motives of alcohol consumers.

During the weeks between baths, the Victorian lady would wash off with a sponge soaked in cool water and vinegar. Sitz baths, in which a woman sat down in a shallow dish of water, were also common.

Drunkenness prevailed throughout the Victorian and Edwardian periods just as it does today. The real problem with alcohol is the one alluring quality of the substance—it gets people drunk.

5 Things Victorian Women Didn’t Do (Much) 1. They didn’t die young. 2. They didn’t marry young. 3. They didn’t marry their cousins. 4. They didn’t wear tight corsets. 5. They didn’t wear pink.