Introduction to the Victorian Era

Drama

Mourning Customs and Dress

•Victorians thought of death as part of life’s cycle. The Victorians faced death more frequently than the present because of the lack of antibiotics, increased infant mortality, and the American Civil War.

•One out of three children died before the age of five.

•There were 600,000 casualties in the war years that left many widows.

Mourning Customs and Dress

•In the nineteenth century there were definite rules setting the length of mourning and the type of dress a person wears.

•Men would wear black suits if available and a black armband. Some chose to put crepe around their hatband or, if military, would tie a black cloth over the sword hilt.

Mourning Customs and Dress

•Shiny buttons on the coat would be painted black or covered with black fabric.

•A dandy might wear a top hat with weepers (Veil-like cloth), carry a black cane, or he may wear a hair watch chain with a jet fob. He may also wear a black cape wth white lining.

Dandy

• …places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and the cultivation of leisurely hobbies. Classically, especially in Britain in the late 18th and 19th century, often strove to affect aristocratic values even though many came from common backgrounds—thus a dandy could be considered a kind of snob or alternatively a class warrior.ss traitor.

• .

Aristocracy

• The Ancient Greek term aristocracy meant a system of government with "rule by the best". This is the first definition given in most dictionaries. The word is derived from two words, "aristos" meaning the "best" and "kratein" "to rule". Aristocracies have most often been hereditary plutocracies (see below), where a sense of historical gravitas and noblesse oblige demands high minded action from its members.

Mourning Customs and Dress

•A man mourned for three days up to three months.

•If small children were left motherless the widower was encouraged to remarry quickly.

Mourning Customs and Dress

•Some children wore black clothes. Boys wore black or grey pants, a white or grey shirt, and sometimes a black armband.

•Toddler boys wore the same type of dresses as girls which most often were white trimmed in black for summer and grey or lilac for other times.

•Girls wore white/grey/black or violet bonnets trimmed in black.

Mourning Customs and Dress

•The length of time mourned was intertwined with the colors previously mentioned.– In large cities “mourning establishments” were prevalent. They sold the black fabric and all of the accessories that accompanied the person in mourning…parasols, jewelry, bonnets, black ribbon, glove, hankies, fans, capes, stationary, and veils.

Mourning Customs and Dress

In North Carolina merchants advertised in the newspapers that they carried black crepe fabric with the accessories.

Coffins were advertised and the embalmers touted their expertise.

First Mourning

•Lasts for one year and a day for the widow who mourned her husband.–She wore a dull black plain dress with crepe on the skirt.

–A long veil covered the bonnet and her face.

–Dull jet jewelry or an enamel-mourning pin graded the neckline.

–She could also wear a hair work brooch.

First Mourning

• Crepe could be used at the color cufs or bonnet if desired.

• Black pins are used to faxdten the long veil to the bonnet which has white lace or ruching in the inside brim.

• Custom prevailed that a widow was to stay at home during the funeral and grieve. She was not to attend social functions during the first year. If she had to go to town for civil business or court, she was to wear the veil

Second Mourning

•After a year and a day the widow moved into Second Mourning.–The long veil is changed to a short veil about neck length.

–Most of the crepe is removed. She would wear a small amount nof crepe for nine months.

Ordinary Mourning

•This lasted only about three months.–All of the crepe is removed–A white collar, sleeves, cuffs, ribbons, or ruffles can now be added. Other types of jewelry like shiny jet, onyx, ebony, bog oak (black Irish wood), and gutta percha can be added.

Jet

•is one of the organic gemstones, being fossilized wood, and therefore related to coal. As such it is millions of years old. It appears surprisingly light and warm to the touch. It was formed by driftwood which was subjected to chemical action in stagnant water, before being subjected to heat and pressure.

Gutta Percha

• is a resin from the Isonandra gutta tree. Jewelry was made from gutta percha in the mid-1800's. Gutta percha was also used to insulate electrical cables. The Gutta percha company was founded by Dr. Montgomerie in 1845 and was in business until 1930.

Half Mourning

•The last six months– Grey and lilac or purple can be added to

the widows dress– The dress could be made out of any type of

fabric and either a solid or printed color.– The lady could add black to the dress

and/or wear a mourning pin or hair work jewelry.

– The bonnet should be made from black, white, lilac or grey and be trimmed in the same colors if desired.

– Some women chose to wear black for the rest of their lives (Queen Victoria and Mary Todd Lincoln).

Embalming

The only embalming done before the war took place at the medical schools. The war opened the door for the public’s use of embalming. Soldiers could prepay the embalmer for his service. Some embalmers were crooks and did not carry out their contract. Some embalmers would only embalm the officers because they got more money for them.

Coffin Makers

• Were originally furniture artists.• Coffins had to be mass produced with all

of the war deaths.• Newspapers advertised different types of

coffins available: plain wood, certain exotic woods, metal, wicker, lead-lined, some with a glass window over the face.

• Many coffins were built to contain ice for shipment of the bodies. Families of deceased soldiers wanted to transport the ody back home for burial and this helped make it happen—along with embalming.

Flowers

•Were originally brought to nth home when a person died to help disguise the odor.

•That is why a corpse was buried quickly before the practice of embalming.

•The following flowers have special meaning and are placed around the coffin: White rose/death, ivy/immortality, myrtle/resurrection, poppy/eternal sleep, rosemary/remembrance, laurel/heroism, lily/innocence, etc.

Mourning

1st mourning

2nd Mourning

OrdinaryMourning

Half Mouning

WidowForHusband

1 year +1 day

9 months

3 months

6 months

WidowerFor Wife

3 months

Mourning

1st

Mourning2nd Mourning

Ordinary mourning

Halfmourning

Mother forChild

6 months 3 months 3 months

Child for Parent

6 months 3 months 3 months

Mourning

1st

Mourning2nd Mourning

OrdinaryMourning

Half mourning

Mothers for parents-in-law of married children

6 weeks

Second wife for Husband’s First wife

3 months

How to avoid a bad husband….

•Never marry for wealth. A woman’s life consisteth not in the things she possesses.

•Never marry a fob or one who struts about dandy lie in silk gloves and ruffles, with a silver cane and rings on his fingers---beware! This is a trap.

How to avoid a bad husband….

•Never marry a pinch penny, a close-fisted, mean, sordid wretch who saves every penny, or spends it grudgingly. Take care lest he stint you to death.

•Never marry a stranger whose character is not known or tested. Some females jump right into the fire with their eyes wide open.

How to avoid a bad husband….

•Never marry a mop or drone, one who drawls or draggles through life, one foot after another, and lets things take their own course.

•Never on any account marry a gambler, a profane person, one who speaks lightly of God or Religion. Such a man could never make a good husband.

How to avoid a bad husband….

•Shun the rake as a snake, a viper, a very demon.

•Finally, never marry a man who is addicted to the use of ardent spirits. Depend on it, you are better off alone than you would bed were you tied to a man whose breath is polluted, and whose vitals are being gnawed out by alcohol.

• In the choice of a wife, take the obedient daughter of a good mother.

Mind your Manners

•Visits of ceremony must be necessarily short and not made before the hour of lunch time. Half an hour is sufficient time. These visits may not always be made necessary by businessmen as they may not always have time.

Mind your manners

•A lady should neither remove her shawl nor bonnet, even if politely asked unless they are in the presence of a particularly special friend, and then only with the help of the lady of the house.

•Always leave children at home or if they do accompany you, leave them in the carriage until your visit is over. If you have an infant, the nurse may await your return or stay in an anteroom, unless a specific request to the contrary has been made.

Mind your manners

•When other visitors are announced, retire as soon as possible, without letting it appear as their arrival is the cause.

•If your acquaintance or friend is not at home, leave a card.

•Visits of courtesy and ceremony are usually paid at Christmas, New Year, and at holidays.

Mind your manners

•In leaving cards, you must distribute them; one for the lady of the house, others for her daughters, a note for the master of the house, but you must never leave more than cards at a house at a time.

•Since married men are supposed to have too much business to attend to make ceremonial calls, it is customary for their wives to take their husband’s car and to leave one of their own and one of his.

Mind your manners

•Upon your arrival, if Miss Jones is home, but Mrs. Jones is not at home, you should leave a card, because young ladies do not receive calls.

•Remember when you do make the call that your call is to the wife and not to the husband, except on business matters.

Mind your manners

•Try to check carefully thr hour that you choose for your visit so that you are not interfering with household programs.

•A visitor does not wait to be invited to sit down, but takes a seat at once easily. He should not take a principle place in the room, however, or sit at an inconvenient distance from the lady of the house.

Mind your manners

•Young married ladies may visit their acquaintances alone, but thy may not appear in public places unattended, either by their husbands or by elder ladies.

•Gentlemen are permitted to call on married ladies at their home but never without the knowledge and full permission of the husband.

Mind your manners

•Ladies may walk unattended in the street, being careful to not walk with a hurried step, do not stand in front of shop windows and stare at it, do not look backward, or send to notice anyone who ventures to address you. Be sure that you get home before dark and do not be out even after dusk.

Mind your manners

•If a lady enters a room, she is requested to sit on the sofa by a gentleman. If several ladies arrive, due respect is paid to age and rank and they must be seated in the most honorable places; one of these is beside the fire.

•If you let a lady occupy a seat and a lady older or more superior than herself enters the room, she must rise and give her that seat.

Mind your manners

•It is very discourteous to continue with needle work when visitors are in the room.

•Visits of condolence should be made within a week.

•Gentlemen will always carry their hat in their hand, do not look for a table or chair to put it on, but always hold on to it gracefully.