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Many famous authors from the Victorian Era published their work in periodicals, which are similar to the modern magazine. Often they would even publish novels, chapter by chapter, in weekly editions of the periodicals. Instead of being able to read their favorite author’s book all at once, anxious readers would have to wait for weeks or even months to finish the novel.
Publishers would often release Christmas editions of their periodicals each winter season. Most of the pieces in this exhibit were first published in periodicals typically during the month of December. Depending on the periodical, the material included varied widely. In this exhibit, you will see periodicals that include heartwarming stories, social reform work, and even ghost stories. Take a glance at the many stories that Victorians would often read around the hearth on Christmas Eve.
Dickens, Charles. The Haunted House, 1859
Father Christmas: The Children's Annual, 1877
Hardcastle, Mark. “In the Christmas Firelight,” January 1, 1872
Mack, Lizzie and Robert Ellice. Old Father Christmas: His Picture Book, 1888
Punch’s Snapdragons for Christmas, 1845
Trollope, Anthony. The Two Generals, A Christmas Story of the War in Kentucky, 1863
Trollope, Anthony. The Two Heroines of Plumplington, 1882
Wightwick, Mary Grace. Christmas in a Snowdrift, 1888
Winter, John Strange. A Christmas Fog, 1900