Chris Woodyard The two years of the title is often cited as the required time for a widow to mourn for her husband – there’s a popular trope that all Victorian widows wore full black with crape veils for two solid years. The reality is much more nuanced, depending on the year and the etiquetteContinue reading “‘Two Years of Sable Gloom’: The Stages of Victorian Mourning”
Tag Archives: nineteenth century
“Sleep today, O early fallen”: Grief and the Good Death in the Music of the American Civil War
Of the more than ten thousand songs published between 1861 and 1865, hundreds dwelt on the topic of death and mourning. Many more songs remained unpublished but circulated in popular repertories nonetheless, and a countless number of these pieces dealt with similar matters. Across five Aprils, the American Civil War claimed upwards of 650,000 lives,Continue reading ““Sleep today, O early fallen”: Grief and the Good Death in the Music of the American Civil War”
Mocking the Medium and Scoffing at Spirits: Reading Humour in Spiritualism Literature
Let us take a moment to glance at the brighter side of death and peer ‘beyond the veil’ at some amusing narratives emanating from the Victorian séance room. In considering light-hearted episodes from Punch, a scathing dramatic monologue from Robert Browning, and a mischievous scene from a popular Spiritualism memoir, we can glimpse the humorousContinue reading “Mocking the Medium and Scoffing at Spirits: Reading Humour in Spiritualism Literature”
Hair Work: A Meditation
Hair is deeply personal and something expected to be attached to a person’s body. But in many museum collections, antique stores, and family collections one can encounter complex, knotted, sculptural wreaths constructed out of human hair. These objects, known as hair wreaths, hair work, or hair art, are fascinating objects that can reveal much aboutContinue reading “Hair Work: A Meditation”
Grave Matters 