Victorian in the Second Empire
Architectural Details, Marcus Fayette Cummings and Charles Crosby Miller, 1865 & 1873, reprint, 1980 /Artwork:
designslinger]
The Victorian era style known as Second Empire, coincides with the reign of France's
Napoleon III, who served in office from 1852 to 1870. Charles Bonaparte was the nephew of France's first emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. Charles was elected President of France in 1848, but by 1852 his title was changed to Emperor, and the country had its Second Empire. The Emperor was responsible for the Paris we see today. Napoleon 3, hired a man named Georges-Eugene Hausmann, better known as Baron Hausmann, to do a whole scale reworking of the plan of Paris, and he is the person responsible for the now famous boulevards lined with cream-colored stone buildings.
The most identifiable characteristic of Victorian Second Empire design is the Mansard
roof. If you look at all the images in today's post, you can't help but notice the large, high-pitched upper story. Named for 17th century French architect Francois Mansart, who made the distinctive roof line popular, beginning with the Château Blois in 1635, and the Château de Maisons. Hausmann used this unique feature extensively during the redo of Paris, and the style became very popular in England and the U.S.
You may notice a few similarities here with the Italianate style that I wrote about a
couple of weeks ago. There is a lot of Italianate detailing in Second Empire architecture, and it is one of the reasons that the roof plays such an important role in marking the difference between the two. Throw in some iron grillwork lining the top of the roof, a few quoins (those are the blocks at the corner of the building and can be made out of wood or stone) a few prominent dormer windows, and voilà, you've got yourself a Second Empire building. And, since the two styles were incredibly popular, and occurred during the same time frame, they are the most recognizable genres identified with the Victorian era.
But, all good things must come to an end. The United States went through a financial
panic in 1873 (sound familiar?) and Second Empire lost its appeal as a result of the economic downturn. By the 1880s, as Italianate and Second Empire were falling out of favor, Queen Anne was following close behind. However, that is another topic for another post.
James Lapham residence; Architecture & Cummings' Architectural Details, Marcus Fayette Cummings and Charles
Crosby Miller, 1865 & 1873, reprint, 1980 /Artwork: designslinger]
Posted by designslinger at 3/23/2009 5:00 AM 
Categories: Architecture, Dictionary, History, Decorative Arts
Tags: Baron Hausmann Mansart Second Empire Chateau Blois Napoleon III Chateau de Maisons
Categories: Architecture, Dictionary, History, Decorative Arts
Tags: Baron Hausmann Mansart Second Empire Chateau Blois Napoleon III Chateau de Maisons
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