The Victorian Home

Middle-class Victorian homes were built in ornate style, and were located in the heart of cities and towns. They represented stability and wealth, and were often decorated with elaborate trim under the eaves, built-out windows, fancy ironwork, and rounded shingles. Their proximity to the city center, whether in San Francisco or a small town, demonstrated that the men who owned them were important in civic life. They were men of means, and their homes, whether narrow three-story townhouses or broad mansions, were items of conspicuous consumption.