The Home and Its Functions

For the Victorians, what they did and in front of who were very important. Feminine spaces included the drawing room, the morning room, the nursery and the bedroom (253). These were places of socialization and children, where women were acknowledged to be in charge. These rooms were typically light-colored and more fanciful (255). Masculine rooms were typically darker and somber. It is important to note that the wife, the family and the home were the outward indicators of a man’s success in the world (168).

The Morning Room was a female place. In homes large enough to have them they served as privately public rooms. The women who had staff did the organizing of the household: spoke to the servants, did their correspondence, kept their accounts, did their sewing and other household tasks. This room also served as a space to entertain less formal callers, such as close friends.

　 The Kitchen- Although Victorians liked their rooms to be single purpose, that is, they would have liked to use this room solely for cookery, the kitchen in most middle class homes served as a scullery, storeroom and larder, and pantry, depending on the size of the home. The kitchen in many cases, especially in larger homes with a larger staff served as a bedroom. Many middle class housewives would have spent time in their kitchen, some would even have preferred to do the baking themselves, but no one would want to spend time in the scullery (7).

　 The Scullery was an insert in the kitchen. It was dirty, damp and dark. All the ‘dirt’ of the house was deposited here. Pots and pans were left here for scrubbing, the residue of fireplaces that had been carefully removed from the other rooms was left here to be sorted out, and laundry was done here. The scullery was a bare room with cement, tiled or brick floor, a counter a sink and sometimes a fireplace. In smaller homes the sink frequently had the only tap for running water in the entire house (143).

The Dining Room was used to entertain and well, dine. The dining room was the most public room because this is where formal hospitality was carried out (255).

　
The Drawing Room was typically the center of the house. Where we usually consider the kitchen the heart of the home, Victorians consider the drawing room the status symbol, an indicator of their gentility. This room was strictly for formal entertaining. Its important to note that the wife, the family and the home were the outward indicators of the success of the man. 

The Bedrooms main function was to serve as a separation; a separation of servants from family, girls from the boys, and older children from younger ones. 

This tour was brought to you by Audra Burkhartsmeier.