Why was the 19th century so full of bigots and weirdos?

Da Vinci’s Laundry is based on an art world rumour. In 2017, Leonardo’s ‘Salvator Mundi’ sold at Christie’s for $450 million but some experts claimed that the attribution was inaccurate.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-was-the-19th-century-so-full-of-bigots-and-weirdos/