Subproject within the "History for Everyone" research project

Project status: completed

Funded by: Gerda Henkel Foundation

Although Victorian periodicals have been extensively studied since the 1950s and are readily accessible thanks to excellent indexes such as the Wellesley Index to Victorian Periodicals, there are still subject areas that have been neglected to date. The treatment of history and its presentation in British periodicals throughout the long 19th century is one such area.

This is where the subproject comes in, focusing primarily on the transition to the mass-market publishing industry and its impact on the content and presentation of historical topics. How was the longue durée represented in the relatively fast-paced medium of the magazine? Which topics, figures, and eras took center stage in the British context during the various phases of the century? How were they presented, and what overall picture of history was conveyed? This will be examined in the context of Victorian periodicals as pioneers and part of an emerging European press landscape.