The Heroines of Domestic Life (1861) I Mrs. Octavius Freire Owen I Illustrated, Half Leather I Routledge

Owen, Mrs. Octavius Freire.
The Heroines of Domestic Life.
London: Routledge, Warne, & Routledge, 1861. New Edition.

A beautifully bound mid-Victorian illustrated volume celebrating historical women of courage, virtue, and moral influence. This 1861 Routledge edition is attractively presented in half leather with marbled boards and gilt detailing.

Mrs. Octavius Freire Owen (1817–1892) was a 19th-century English writer known for moral, historical, and biographical works aimed at a Victorian family readership. Writing primarily for women and young readers, she focused on exemplary figures—especially notable women from history—emphasizing virtue, fortitude, and domestic influence. Her works reflect the mid-Victorian interest in character formation and moral instruction, blending accessible narrative history with devotional and educational themes

Half dark green leather over marbled boards. Raised bands to spine with gilt ruling and red morocco title label. Marbled endpapers and page edges. Binding is tight and sound. Clean pages. Illustrated with engraved plates (including Lucy Hutchinson, Grizel Cochrane, Jeanne d’Albret, Margaret Roper, and others), 403pp.

Condition: Very Good +

Size:  4 1/2” x 6 3/4”

A characteristic Victorian moral and biographical work highlighting exemplary women from classical antiquity through early modern Europe. Such volumes were popular in the mid-19th century as educational and devotional reading.

A refined and display-worthy example of Victorian decorative binding in a compact format.