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While the British Empire is acknowledged to have functioned from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, it was during the nineteenth century that its greatest expansion in terms of size, population, and wealth occurred. Dominating the nineteenth century, the Victorian Era (1837-1901) is considered by scholars such as Amy Lloyd and Peter Marshall to be the period in British history in which the monarchy became increasingly identified with empire. Queen Victoria was granted the title of Empress of India in 1876; this, as well as occasions such as Queen Victoria’s Golden and Diamond Jubilees 1887 and 1897, continued to rouse imperialism towards the end of the nineteenth century. In the context of this essay, discourses of empire can be understood as texts, discussions, and ideals concerning imperialism; Pramod Nayar suggests in Colonial Voices: The Discourses of Empire that discourses are not only a reflection of events, but serve to define reality for viewers, giving insight into lived experiences. Accordingly, this article will examine the way in which discourses of empire permeated Victorian experiences of childhood before and after the 1870 Education Act.