Queen Anne architecture (fl. 1880-1910), for the purposes of this blog, is a primarily residential Victorian style. It is unrelated to the late Baroque architecture in England also known as "Queen Anne." Highly eclectic and probably what a layperson imagines when they think "Victorian house," Queen Anne architecture is one of the best known styles of Victorian architecture.
Queen Anne architecture was given its name and popularized by a group of English architects, which was led by Richard Norman Shaw. The earliest American Queen Anne house was the Watts Sherman House, designed by H. H. Richardson and completed in 1874, though its shingled appearance also makes it a Shingle style house. It became popular in the 1880s through pattern books publishing designs in the style, supplanting the Second Empire and Italianate styles. Interestingly, it was not a popular style with architects, rather, the public's interest and its promulgation through nationwide pattern books made it popular.
Queen Anne designs are noticeable by several characteristics. Their expression is very eclectic, as the buildings are usually asymmetrical, and features such as bay windows and turrets/towers reduce the amount of blank walls. They can be highly ornamented through Eastlake spindlework, decorative panels, and brickwork. Roofs are gabled and steeply pitched, often having numerous cross gables. Many Queen Anne houses have wraparound porches.
Queen Anne houses were widely built until about 1900, being replaced by Beaux-Arts and Colonial Revival designs. However, some late examples were built in more remote areas.