Although Queen Victoria never set foot on American soil, she influenced almost every aspect of American life in the last three quarters of the 19th century. She presided over a vast empire, traditionally a male job, and yet, she was revered as a model of female domestic virtues and a dutiful wife at a time when the culture of female domesticity dominated life in the United States and the United Kingdom. This culture dictated that women were not to have roles of responsibility in the male dominated world, but Queen Victoria set the tone for the fashionable world of upper and middle class society. Buying Queen Victoria additional favor here in the United States were her religious principles wh
Perhaps the most striking image in Belmont Mansion is the portrait of Adelicia Acklen with her beloved horse, Bucephalus. Her love of riding and horses started early and continued through her life. It was an essential element of the social class in which she lived and Dr. Cheatham, Adelicia’s third husband, made this pursuit part of their life together. To understand the impact thoroughbred horses had on Adelicia’s life, we have to look at how horses and horse racing in its many forms were intrinsic to 19th century Nashville life. White settlers to Tennessee from areas like Virginia and North Carolina brought with them the traditions of the first American settlers, many of whom were part of
