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Showing 5 results for the tag: funerary traditions.

Etiquette In A Polite Society….Funerals (10/9/08)

When one thinks of Victorian Funerals we draw a picture of a polished black hearse, fine horses adorned with black ostrich plumes on their heads and ladies dressed completely in dull black with long black crape mourning veils. It is a fact that many funerals during the Victorian Era were very elaborate and were a means of showing ones status. More >>

Hair…That Which Survives Us (10/9/08)

During the 19th century everyday was shadowed by death. Out of every 20 babies born 3 would die before their first birthday. Victorians viewed death as a natural part of the life cycle. The strict rituals regarding Victorian Mourning came about due to two factors. More >>

Mourning Books And Rituals—Comforting The Spirit (9/23/08)

A drawing of Georgie Cuyler (top) and of Georgie and his brother, Theo (bottom, left), are from my copy of the 1868 edition of "The Empty Crib.”

Today the subject of death is largely avoided and it is expected that any signs of grief should be done only in private. We have removed ourselves from the reality of death and it has become a sterile process, gone is the the loving vigil of the family attending to the physical and spiritual needs of the dying person. More >>

Postmortem Photos (9/13/08)

This is a family photo of a cousin who died at age 19.

I grew up in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky and the practice of taking postmortem photographs was a normal occurrence. After moving and marrying someone who was raised in a large city I became aware that what I had been taught as a life-affirming practice was viewed as macabre and just plain creepy by many. More >>

Victorians Mourning Their Dead Monumental To Mundane (2/24/08)

Large Gold Victorian Hair Mourning Brooch , Ring & Article

Although paying hommage to the dead goes back as far as recorded time, we are probably most familiar with the widow in mourning, all dressed in black, of the mid 19th century, who was destined to wear black for the rest of her life, or at least a significant part of it. More >>