Jelly has been on the menu for centuries but it was the Victorians who went crazy for the stuff making increasingly elaborate confections which required ever more complex moulds. 
These moulds have survived to tell the tale and are very collectable. Use one to decorate your kitchen or impress your friends with a genuine Victorian revival pudding using a period recipe.
Although, some very decorative jellies and creams were produced in earlier centuries, the apogee of the jelly was the nineteenth century. The spectacular Victorian variation on ribbon jelly illustrated below, was known as ‘Russian Jelly’ or panache jelly. It has been made here in a nineteenth century succès mould. To obtain the opaque effect, the jelly was whipped to a froth before being poured one layer after the other into the mould. Each layer had to set, before the next was poured in.
Recipe for Russian Jelly Gelée à la Russe From A. B. Marshall, Larger Cookery Book of Extra Recipes (London: nd 1880s).
Take one quart of Lemon Jelly, and when cool add two wineglasses of Kirsch liqueur or syrup and one wineglass of brandy; divide it into three portions, colour one with liquid carmine, one with a very little sap green and leave the remaining part plain; whip these separately till frothy throughout, and when nearly set pour them into any fancy mould that is resting in a little ice in alternate layers, and leave it on ice till ready to serve; then dip the mould into warm water, turn out on a dish-paper, and serve for a fancy sweet for dinner, luncheon, &c.
Have fun!
