Did The Victorians Windows Have Window Blinds?
Did The Victorians Windows Have Window Blinds?
Yes. The majority of Victorian windows had three layers of light protection: a cornice, a drapery or valance, and one or more curtains.
Blinds were essential, and they were controlled by rack pulleys, which prevented the tape or cord from unrolling by using a small piece of hardware attached to the side of the window frame.
They were also controlled by chain pulleys, which had a chain tied to a small metal bar that could be lifted up and down. The modern curtain rod was not introduced until the beginning of the 20th century.
In 1857, Edmund Harold Smith patented a velour blind which was similar to modern roller blinds. In 1865, he received the patent for an electro-magnetically operated blind mechanism for window blinds, which would be powered by an electric motor connected to a generator.
In 1870, Joseph P Lehmann’s patent for A Machine for Electrically Controlling Window Shades or Curtains was granted in London and allowed curtains with electric motors mounted on a pulley system.
His machine was a horizontal electric motor made in the shape of a flat-bottomed wheel, which could be operated by remote control and run at any speed between the stops. This became the ancestor of present-day remote-controlled blinds.
Several other patents were granted during the 1800s for remote-controlled devices. In 1871, William J. Hargrave received a patent for a curtain-rail system that operated manually and automatically;
In 1873, Charles M. Francis received a patent for a corded blind of vertical bars attached to cords that unlocked from their pulleys and dropped into slots under the bottom rail.
And in 1878, William G. Sterry received one for a corded blind with a knob that could be pulled out from the foot rail to raise or lower the blind. They are also used to block out light when you want privacy.
