Overview

Beyond the patrician vision of Victorian Britain traditionally advanced in our textbooks, there always existed another, more diverse Britain, populated by people of colour marking achievements both ordinary and extraordinary. In this deeply researched and dynamic history, Woolf and Abraham reach into the archives to recentre our attention on marginalised Black Victorians, from leading medic George Rice to political agitator William Cuffay to abolitionists Henry 'Box' Brown and Sarah Parker Remond; from pre-Raphaelite muse Fanny Eaton to renowned composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. While acknowledging the paradoxes of Victorian views of race, Black Victorians demonstrates, with storytelling verve and a liberatory impulse, how Black people were visible and influential, firmly rooted in British life.

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9780715654880

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Reviews

‘The history of Black people in this country is woven into the tapestry that is the United Kingdom. Black Victorians shows us, in vivid detail, how Black people didn't just take part in the Victorian era, they shaped it’ * David Lammy MP, author of 'Tribes' * ‘Meatily researched and illuminating... [brings] to swaggering life a group of Britons who have spent too long in the shadows’ * Susie Goldsbrough, The Times * ‘An important survey of the subject based on painstaking research. Woolf and Abraham's Black Victorians: Hidden in History provides an indispensable introduction to the subject told through the lives of some of the most eminent personalities of the era, as well as those hitherto little known. A significant contribution to the field’ * Hakim Adi * 'This book will generate discussion and change mindsets. It is brilliant’ * Dr Maggie Semple OBE * ‘The book's telling details are liberating for, in spite of the Black Victorians' subjection and degradation, they are presented not as victims, but rather as resourceful, inventive, assertive human beings in their quests for betterment. Their cumulative experiences are skilfully woven into an engaging, richly textured book – an insightful work of scholarship’ * Ron Ramdin, author of The 'Making of the Black Working Class in Britain' * ‘Fascinating, thorough, well-researched and extremely readable, Black Victorians provides invaluable insight into a history of Victorian Britain that is not often told’ * Hafsa Zayyan, author of 'We Are All Birds of Uganda' * ‘Engaging, informative and accessible, Black Victorians shines a light on a little-known aspect of British history. It is written with passion and attention to detail. I highly recommend this book’ * Stephen Bourne, author of 'Black Poppies: Britain's Black Community and the Great War' * ‘Revelatory. Exposing whitewashing, tackling archival obfuscation, and returning little known figures to history, this book restores colour to our vision of Victorian Britain’ * Suzannah Lipscomb, author of 'What is History, Now?' *

Engaging, informative and accessible, Black Victorians shines a light on a little-known aspect of British history. It is written with passion and attention to detail. I highly recommend this book' – STEPHEN BOURNE, author of Black Poppies: Britain's Black Community and the Great War

‘The history of Black people in this country is woven into the tapestry that is the United Kingdom. Black Victorians shows us, in vivid detail, how Black people didn't just take part in the Victorian era, they shaped it’ David Lammy MP, author of Tribes ‘Meatily researched and illuminating... [brings] to swaggering life a group of Britons who have spent too long in the shadows’ Susie Goldsbrough, The Times ‘An important survey of the subject based on painstaking research. Woolf and Abraham's Black Victorians: Hidden in History provides an indispensable introduction to the subject told through the lives of some of the most eminent personalities of the era, as well as those hitherto little known. A significant contribution to the field’ Hakim Adi 'This book will generate discussion and change mindsets. It is brilliant’ Dr Maggie Semple OBE ‘The book's telling details are liberating for, in spite of the Black Victorians' subjection and degradation, they are presented not as victims, but rather as resourceful, inventive, assertive human beings in their quests for betterment. Their cumulative experiences are skilfully woven into an engaging, richly textured book – an insightful work of scholarship’ Ron Ramdin, author of The Making of the Black Working Class in Britain ‘Fascinating, thorough, well-researched and extremely readable, Black Victorians provides invaluable insight into a history of Victorian Britain that is not often told’ Hafsa Zayyan, author of We Are All Birds of Uganda ‘Engaging, informative and accessible, Black Victorians shines a light on a little-known aspect of British history. It is written with passion and attention to detail. I highly recommend this book’ Stephen Bourne, author of Black Poppies: Britain's Black Community and the Great War ‘Revelatory. Exposing whitewashing, tackling archival obfuscation, and returning little known figures to history, this book restores colour to our vision of Victorian Britain’ Suzannah Lipscomb, author of What is History, Now?

Author Information

Dr Keshia N. Abraham, founder and president of The Abraham Consulting Agency, is an African diaspora scholar and JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) educator committed to facilitating personal and organisational development through intercultural growth. Dr John Woolf is a nineteenth-century specialist who read History at the University of Cambridge and the University of London, where he gained his PhD. He has researched and produced historical documentaries for the BBC. He was awarded the Tony Lothian Prize by the Biographers Club for his first book The Wonders.

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