The Victorian Era

Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901 — the longest reign until Elizabeth II. The Victorian era was characterised by: • Industrial growth and technological progress • Expansion of the British Empire • Social reform (Factory Acts, public health improvements) • Great engineers like Isambard Kingdom Brunel • Florence Nightingale and modern nursing • Literature: Dickens, Hardy, Brontës, Eliot • The Great Exhibition of 1851 at the Crystal Palace