Page 9 - Bits

Introduction

V

ictorians loved their pets! While we may regard our current century as an era of “conspicuous
consumption” when it comes to our animal companions, such items as rhinestone collars, hand-
painted dinner bowls and doggie castles would have not seemed the least bit odd to many a
Victorian pet owner. Indeed, an article in The Strand describes a French firm that provided fashions,
bejeweled collars, and even diamond jewelry for the pampered pets of Victorian London.
Nor was this love affair confined to domestic animals. Victorians delighted in articles that portrayed
the quirks and human-like characteristics of creatures of the wild as well. Indeed, the line between “wild”
and “domestic” often blurred. For example, a series in The Girl’s Own Paper by Gordon Stables on caring
for cage birds describes managing birds most of us today would regard as “wild,” such as wrens,
nightingales, jackdaws, jays and rooks. To better observe the behavior of wild birds and beasts, naturalist
Eliza Brightwen brought many into her home, where they became, if not fully tame, at least accustomed to
living with one foot (or wing) in each world.
Small wonder, then, that Victorian magazines abounded with articles on pets and animals in general.
One of the most entertaining series of columns in The Girl’s Own Paper was its “Bits About Animals.”
Early columns contained countless nuggets of animal lore, from “sagacious rats” to compassionate
elephants. Later columns focused more on the authors’ pets; most of the columns in the mid- to late-
1880’s were written by Ruth Lamb, with others provided by Ellin Isabelle Tupper. In the mid-1890’s,
these “bits” on dogs, cats, horses, and even lambs and sheep were replaced by Eliza Brightwen’s tales of
her lemurs, owls, mongoose and other exotic creatures.
It is no coincidence that Victorian magazines like The Girl’s Own Paper emphasized the more
(apparently) human characteristics of animals both wild and domestic. This was, in many respects, the
dawning of a new era for animals: An era in which the first animal protection and anti-cruelty laws were
being passed. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (without the “Royal”) was
founded in London in 1824. The organization originally focused on protecting working animals, such as
pit ponies, but within a few years launched legislation to protect domestic animals as well. Many of the
articles that appeared in Victorian magazines for young people were designed to encourage kindness
toward animals, whether in the home or in the wild.
Whatever the motivation, the fact remains that a good animal story is timeless. Anyone who has ever
had a dog or a cat can recognize the antics of their own companions in these delightful tales. (Cats, sadly,
are a bit under-represented here, as they were not nearly as popular in Victorian times as dogs—but
they’re here!) Most of us haven’t had the privilege of sharing a home with a lemur or a mongoose, but we
can enjoy the experience vicariously through Eliza Brightwen’s marvelous accounts.
This book offers a treasure-chest of animal anecdotes, beginning with The Girl’s Own Paper’s “Bits
About Animals” series and continuing with articles by Eliza Brightwen and others (more or less in
chronological order from 1881-1901). It winds up with articles from The Strand, Cassell’s Family
Magazine, and Leisure Hour. All the anecdotes are purported to be “true tales” (save for those that are
clearly folkloric). I’ve rounded out the collection with a selection of (I hope) entertaining poems and
illustrations, including several by renowned animal artist Harrison Weir.
I hope, as well, that this book will be just the beginning. My archives hold many more Victorian
animal anecdotes, which I plan to share in the future. Just as soon as I persuade my cat to get off the
keyboard.

—Moira Allen, Editor
Columbia, MD 2014