The Victorian period, spanning 1837 to 1901, was a time of astonishing creativity mixed with a healthy dose of eccentricity. In this roundup of 10 bizarre inventions, we explore the oddball gadgets that Victorian inventors dreamed up – ranging from coffins that could signal the living to devices meant to curb private pleasures.
10 Safety Coffins
During the 19th century, physicians often misdiagnosed deep comas as death, leading to premature burials. To address this grim mistake, “waiting mortuaries” were established, where bodies were stored until obvious decay set in. Yet these facilities merely swapped one problem for another, as they soon filled with more “dead” bodies than living ones. The solution arrived in the form of safety coffins.
These coffins resembled ordinary burial boxes but incorporated clever mechanisms to alert the world above if the occupant was still breathing. Some models featured a cord attached to a bell that rang whenever the presumed corpse moved. Others employed a tube that, when exhaled into, raised a flag above ground. A few even included a tiny ladder, enabling the buried individual to climb out of the grave. Such inventions aimed to give the mistakenly interred a fighting chance at freedom.
9 Wave And Rocking Baths
Victorians were firm believers in the curative power of water, often traveling for weeks to bathe in remote streams and rivers. To spare them the arduous journeys, engineers devised wave and rocking baths that mimicked the gentle sway of a flowing river within a domestic setting.
The tubs resembled conventional bathtubs but boasted a curved, raised rim that allowed users to rock the vessel back and forth, simulating a river’s current. Manufacturers produced a variety of designs – from adult‑sized cradles to enclosed rocking chairs – each convertible back to a standard bathtub by inserting a wooden block at the curve’s base to halt the motion.
8 Mustache Cups And Spoons
In an era when a well‑groomed moustache signified gentlemanly virtue, Victorians went to great lengths – even applying wax – to maintain a sleek, sturdy look. Unfortunately, hot tea and coffee would melt the wax, staining the facial hair. Enter the mustache cup, a clever solution to keep whiskers dry.
Invented by Adams Harvey, this cup resembled a normal teacup but featured a semicircular guard over the rim, shielding the moustache from contact with the beverage. The novelty soon extended to mustache spoons, which sported a raised shield along the wide edge, preventing the spoon from grazing the moustache. Both accessories fell out of favor after World War I, when the fashion of elaborate facial hair waned.
7 The Motor Scout
Frederick Richard Simms unveiled the Simms Motor Scout between 1888 and 1889, marking one of the world’s first armed vehicles. Though resembling the American Davidson‑Duryea armed tricycle, the Scout sported a .303‑calibre machine gun and four wheels, earning it the moniker “quadcycle” rather than a true automobile.
The Scout’s protection was minimal – armor wrapped only the gun, leaving the driver’s back and sides exposed. While never deployed in combat, the vehicle demonstrated that four‑wheeled machines could serve as mobile firepower. Simms later expanded the concept with the Motor War Car, widely recognized as the first armored car and, in some accounts, the inaugural armored tank.
6 Rotary Hairbrush
Victorian inventors, convinced that mechanising every task signified progress, created the rotary hairbrush – a bizarre, engine‑driven device for grooming. The brush comprised a system of wheels and pulleys powered by water turbines, steam, gas engines, or even manual effort.
Its primary purpose was to brush a client’s head, though the patent claimed it could also brush the body during bathing and even brush clothing. Edwin Gillard Camp patented the brush, leasing it to hairdressers for a £45 down payment and a £1 semi‑annual fee. Despite concerns that hair dust caused respiratory issues for predominantly male stylists, some dismissed the health worries as moral panic.
5 Atmospheric And Pneumatic Railways
While today’s locomotives rely on electricity or diesel, Victorian England experimented with air‑powered trains. Two variants emerged: atmospheric railways, which traveled above ground, and pneumatic railways, which operated underground.
The first atmospheric station opened in Ireland in 1844, soon followed by a counterpart in England. Trains were propelled by a series of pumping stations spaced roughly three kilometres apart, forcing air through a tube beneath the tracks. High maintenance costs and rodent damage to leather seals eventually doomed the system.
Pneumatic railways arose after the London Post Office sought faster parcel delivery. The London Pneumatic Dispatch Railway (LPDR) shuttled people and mail through underground tubes, but the high cost of upkeep and a limited nine‑minute operating window – after which air loss slowed the train – made it impractical. Operators often had to enter the tube and manually pull the stalled train with a rope.
4 Cranks
Victorian prisons invented a variety of punitive devices, one of which was the “crank.” This contraption consisted of a heavy stone‑laden box attached to a wheel and handle. Inmates were forced to turn the handle, rotating the wheel and moving the stones, in order to earn a meal or drink.
Some prisoners were required to crank as many as 14,000 rotations per day, with wardens tightening the mechanism to increase difficulty. This harsh regimen gave rise to the nickname “screws” for prison officials. Inmates who struggled with the crank were sometimes placed in a straitjacket, hung on a wall, and forced to stand for up to six hours.
3 Cholera Belts
Epidemics of cholera and typhoid plagued Victorian Britain, exacerbated by poor sanitation and sewage dumped into drinking rivers. Lacking modern germ theory, many believed foul smells caused disease, and they had no effective treatment for cholera.
Enter the “flannel binder,” colloquially known as the cholera belt. This contraption, a tightly wrapped flannel band, was thought to protect wearers from the disease. In reality, it offered no medical benefit, yet it enjoyed widespread use, even among British soldiers, who kept the belts on hand for potential outbreaks.
2 Electrophone
The Electrophone was a pioneering London service that transmitted news, theatre performances, and church services straight to a subscriber’s telephone. Its roots trace back to the French Theatrophone invented by Clément Ader in 1881.
Managed by M.S.J. Booth, the Electrophone relayed readings from his office (and from affiliated newspapers) and streamed live performances from venues. Listeners simply asked their switchboard operator to connect to the Electrophone, and could even request specific music. Subscriptions cost £5 per year, but the service ceased in 1925 as radio broadcasting offered free, widespread audio.
1 Jugum Penis
Victorian morality deemed sexual activity, even within marriage, a sin unless for procreation. Masturbation was condemned as equally immoral and blamed for a fictitious ailment called “spermatorrhoea,” which was said to cause irritation, anxiety, madness, and even death.
To curb this perceived vice, inventors produced the “jugum penis,” a metal apparatus fitted with sharp, tooth‑like edges that clipped onto the base of the penis, preventing engorgement and thus erection. The device epitomized the era’s extreme attempts to control private behaviour through bizarre engineering.
10 Bizarre Inventions From the Victorian Era
From coffins that could ring bells to anti‑masturbation contraptions, the Victorian age proved that ingenuity knows no bounds – even when it veers into the absurd. These ten inventions remind us that history is full of creative, if sometimes misguided, attempts to solve the challenges of their time.