This is an analysis of the work of all the major designers, architects Thomas Cubitt and George Gilbert Scott, harbinger of Modernism Christopher Dresser, the 'anti-Victorian' William Morris - and examination of the anonymous artifacts, from dolls' houses to tableaux morts, which decorated the victorian home. This book also offers an explanation of the complex interrelationship of different styles throughout the period: neo-Classicism, Renaissance Revival, French Rococo, Queen Anne and High Victorian Gothic. Also featured is a discussion of the influential role of the Royal family, as arbiters of taste and objects of veneration. Throughout, the generous format allows over 200 beautiful colour photographs and illustrations to be shown to their full potential. Alongside the art and architecture of the period are shown more unusual artifacts of the time. Overall this is an essential volume for anyone with an interest in the style and attitudes of the Victorian era.