Dickens' A Christmas Carol
Research Resources

Topics

Politics

• Who were leaders and what type of leader? 

• What mass events occurred that affected the world?

• What did elections look like? What party had power? 

• Did wars occur? If so, which ones, how, and why?

Inventions and Science Advancements

• What new inventions came from the 1840's and1850’s? 

• What new progress in science emerged during this time? How and why?

Fashion and Art

• What clothing did women and men wear? Why? 

• Were fashion shows around? 

• How did people purchase clothing? 

• How was clothing made? 

• What was popular and why? 

• What sort of art was created? How and why?

Food and Etiquette

• What were the most popular foods? 

• When did people eat? 

• How did they eat? 

• Did men and women eat separately? Did couples dine out? If so, how? 

• What manners were expected of men and women?

Gender Roles

• How differently were men and women expected to behave? 

• What could a man do? What could a woman do

• Professionally and personally, what was expected of each gender?

Entertainment

• How did the entertainment industry look? 

• What did people do for fun during this time? 

• Were movies and/or television around? 

• Was the phonograph invented? 

• What music or plays were popular? 

• Were sports a thing? What sports were played?

Resources

Search Terms

Remember, you are looking at topics like politics or art from the 1840s and 1850s of England, not the United States (though there will be a lot of things they have in common). Some suggested search terms:

• Victorian Era

• Victorian England

• Victorian London

• British history, 1837-1901

• British history, 1815-1914

• Charles Dickens

• Dickens' A Christmas Carol

• And, of course, combine your topic and the above phrases to continue your research. For example: Victorian Era + clothing