Couple ridiculed for trying to live like actual Victorians

Sarah and Gabriel Chrisman shun the modern day in order to live like it's 1880

A couple who have chosen to ignore modern luxuries in favour of a “Victorian existence” have been criticised over their unique lifestyle choice.

Sarah and Gabriel Chrisman from Washington State, USA are historians who have chosen to explore their subject through attempting to live like people did during the time of Queen Victoria's reign.

Writing on Vox, Mrs Chrisman detailed her life, describing her and her husband’s use of oil lamps, kerosene heaters and toothbrushes made from “natural boar bristles” as well as their shunning of cars, in preference of penny farthings.

Sarah writes: “My husband and I have slowly, gradually worked to base our lives around historical artifacts and ideals because — quite frankly — we love living this way.

"People assume that the hard part of our lifestyle comes from the life itself, but using Victorian items every day brings us great joy and fulfilment.”

The couple have documented their experiences by writing books and updating their website: This Victorian Life.

The criticism the couple have received since she wrote the article resonates with what Sarah describes as the negative consequences of their lifestyle, saying: “The truly hard part is dealing with other people’s reactions.”

Under the headline ‘Annoying white couple insists on living in Victorian times even though it’s 2015’, GQ writes that “only a white couple could insist that life was preferable in any previous decade”.

Twitter was also rife with criticism, although the absence of the internet during the Victorian era means the couple are theoretically unlikely to have seen it.