Why The Victorian Mansion

Why the Victorian mansion
is a horror icon?
Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century.
Victorian refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during
which period the styles known as Victorian were used in construction. However, many
elements of what is typically termed "Victorian" architecture did not become popular until
later in Victoria's reign, roughly from 1850 or 1860.
Although Victoria missed reigning over the United States by several decades, the term is often
used for American styles and buildings from the same period, as well as those from the British
Empire. In the United States, 'Victorian' architecture generally describes styles that were most
popular between 1860 and 1900. As in the United Kingdom, examples of Gothic Revival and
Italianate continued to be constructed during this period, and are therefore sometimes called
Victorian. Some historians classify the later years of Gothic Revival as a distinctive Victorian
style named High Victorian Gothic. Many homes combined the elements of several different
styles and are not easily distinguishable as one particular style or another.
Now, coming back to the question of how this image of horror came into shape to be
associated today to the notion of horror, let’s think about how a haunted house is usually
portrayed: It’s most likely a decaying structure with severe angles and intricate woodwork,
maybe accompanied by some flying bats and some spider webs. One of the earliest encounters
of such depictions can be traced back to paintings like Edward Hopper’s “House by the
Railroad”, which can be described as an old abandoned Victorian mansion; or maybe an even
more premature portrayal of horror through this type of houses can be linked with stories such
as "The Fall of the House of Usher", written by the famous gothic icon, Edgar Allan Poe.
Whatever it’s introduction was ( be it the rise of the gothic as a genre and style of architecture,
or the increasing popularity of dabbling in the paranormal during the 1800’s) the true
breakthrough to the media and the general eye of the public of the image of the Victorian
mansion as a “horror house” happened during the 20th century by being featured famously as
the menacing Bates mansion in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho or the kooky home of the Addams
Family and the list goes on.
But still, why did they serve as inspiration for such morbid things? What made them seem so
gruesome in the first place?
The later part of the Victorian era, named after England’s Queen Victoria, was known as the
Gilded Age in America. It followed the bloody American Civil War and was simultaneously
an era of rampant income inequality, political corruption, and industrialization that helped
create a new wealthy class. And the choice home for the “nouveau riche,” or “new rich,” was
the Victorian. It was the McMansion of its time: a gaudy and unbalanced monstrosity that
showed off the wealth of certain American families.
Borrowed from medieval Europe’s Gothic architecture, these houses were designed to be
imposing and make a statement. They were a mismatched combination of towers and turrets,
ornate gingerbread trim, and sloped, bloated roofs, called the Mansard roof, which drew from
the French imperial style. Inside was a maze of rooms like parlors, drawing rooms, libraries,
and observatories, places that were often unoccupied, with the curtains drawn to keep out
sunlight, which could damage the clutter of heavy, expensive furnishings.
Late 19th-century wealthy Americans wanted to emulate Europe but after World War I, that
changed, as the American vision turned toward progress and innovation. Modern architects
ushered in an era of clean lines and simplicity as the new hallmark of taste. The Victorian, in
comparison, became an antiquated symbol of excess, whose architectural style was described
as “grotesque,” and the mansions were called “mongrel types desecrating the landscape.”
Critics of the time began to associate the houses with death, offensive reminders of the
troubling Gilded Age. These houses slowly became an unwelcome presence, and eventually
the wealthy owners moved on. And when the Great Depression swept across the country in
the 1930s, a lot of the houses were abandoned or became boarding houses for the working
poor. Without their affluent tenants to maintain them, the ornate structures quickly eroded,
deepening their association with decay. Thus, making its way into the imagination of many
creators.
Overall, this is the twisted history of how, the Victorian mansion, which died over 100 years
ago, still has a persistent presence in Gothic-inspired art and pop culture has made it an iconic
symbol of dread, and now serves as an immediate signal to audiences: There’s something not
quite right about this house.

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