19th Century UK Periodicals, Series 1

The 19th century was a time of rapid social, political and industrial change across Britain. The advent of the mass-producing printing press opened literature up to the wider public and spawned the birth of hundreds of different periodical and journal titles, some of which are represented in this ongoing digitised archive.

Series 1 covers a wide range of subjects including home and leisure interests, specialist titles for women and children, humour or satire as well as politics and culture. Many well-known titles are represented. The range of subjects covered provide a window on public reaction to historical events and social change, while charting the sharp rise in popularity of sporting interests and hobbies, as large swathes of the literate public began to have greater time and resources to enjoy leisure activities.

This collection offers insight into the changing role and political voice of women through early domestic magazines to advocacy periodicals that accompanied the emergence of the women’s movement and the suffragette campaigns of the latter part of the century.

How can this collection be used in teaching, studying and research?

This collection offers an insight into life in 19th century Britain, from attitudes to childhood and subjects for comedy to the status of women.
The resource is of particular interest to historians and students of nineteenth-century literature and culture, feminism, the history of the book, the creative and performing arts, and sport and leisure.