The Victorian Vision.(Inventing New Britain: The Victorian Vision exhibition at Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England)(Brief Article)

Queen Victoria is one of the few people whose names have become shorthand for an em, an outlook, and a style. The adjective Victorian conjures up many images, from the dour middle-aged queen in deepest mourning for her beloved Prince Albert to the remarkable advances made in science and engineering during her reign. She died on January 22, 1901, and to celebrate her life and times a number of exhibitions and other events are being held throughout Britain.

The largest and most ambitious exhibition is appropriately being organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Entitled Inventing New Britain: The Victorian Vision, it is on view from April 5 to July 29. Its aim is to show how modem Britain emerged from Victoria's reign (1837--1901). The curator is Paul Atterbury, who has commented that "many of our modem-day ideas about holidays, sexuality, entertainment, sport, leisure, science and technology are Victorian in origin." The exhibition is divided into a number of sections that explore ...