Revealing the Style behind Victorian Mailboxes

As you browse through the variety of Victorian style post mounted mailboxes for your home or office, it is helpful to have a sense of history about this particular style as well as how a Victorian mailbox may complement your personal style. Simply put, “Victorian” describes the dominant style that arose during the 63-year reign of Queen Victoria of Great Britain (from 1837 to 1901).

This benevolent matriarch of the United Kingdom projected a grand image despite her stout and dowdy physical appearance.  The elaborate dollhouse architecture featuring bright colors and fine details bear the Victorian name more for the architectural styles that emerged during her reign rather than the Queen’s particular personal style.

As you compare the Victorian mailboxes available today, you will discover a vast array of “styles within the style” particularly because most Victorian architects borrowed from multiple styles (ranging from Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Romanesque, Second Empire, Shingle, and Stick) combining them in unique manners so that very few Victorian homes look alike.

As you look for the perfect residential Victorian mailbox for your home, you’ll notice that the common elements among all Victorian post mount mailboxes are very similar to the homes that they adorn:  ornate detailing, embellishments, and elaborate designs that leave no part of the mailbox they decorate unfinished or plain.

Many featured Victorian mailboxes are exact replicas of the Victorian architectural styles found during the heyday of Victorian style.  Some Victorian mailboxes are contemporized fashions that idealize Victorian styles rather than simply replicate them.

For example, the iconic concept of Victorian style is that home fashion and furnishings (like residential mailboxes) should please the eye rather than be particularly practical or useful. Yet Victorian mailboxes today go far beyond just beauty and esthetics.

The AMCO Victorian pedestal mailboxes not only feature a stunning Pony Express relief on the front side of the mailbox and ornate detailing on the mailbox post and roofline but also a highly functional locking security system to keep your mail private and safe. And note, if you don’t have a post-mount application, the AMCO Victorian locking mailbox is also available in a wall mount mailbox application as well.

Note the variety in locking Victorian mailboxes – for example, contrast the Imperial 311 Victorian mailboxes to the Ecco 8 Tower Victorian Mailboxes.  Both feature secure locking functions and are comparable in price but that’s where the comparisons end.

The Imperial 311 residential post mount mailboxes features “Victorian meets French Provincial” flair.  Notice the scrolling flair that holds the residential address and the complimentary scrolling that supports the mailbox.  Let your eye feast on the French fleur de leaf adorning the locking mailbox door. And note, the Imperial 888 Victorian Mailbox and Post is very similar in design to the Imperial 311 but is far less adorned than the 311.

Once you’ve reviewed the Imperial 311 compare this mixed design to the strict Victorian of the elaborate and classical Victorian Ecco 8 Tower.  This stout, stately tower is the quintessential Victorian style.  Designed for walk-up mail delivery, the Ecco 8 Tower locking Victorian mailbox is constructed of cast aluminum and features fine detailing, scrolling, embellishments and reliefs on all four sides as well as the canopy-style roof. Whether purchased in black, rust brown or bronze, this Ecco 8 Tower Mailbox is unmistakably Victorian in its style.

As you review the stylistic features that adorn locking Victorian mailboxes, look for the patterns that replicate those in the style of your home.  Decorating “Victorian” means finding complimentary styles to your current décor rather than stark contrasts. Look for the Victorian mailbox that feels like home.

Categorized in: Design Inspiration & Gift Ideas