Victorian Death + Mourning

Death was frequent in the Victorian times, not just for the elderly but for infants too. Due to illness and work place injuries, the death rate was exceptionally high with 240 out of 1000 working class infants passing before the age of One. Illnesses such us TB, Polio, Measles and Whooping Cough were huge killers in people of all ages, due to the lack of immunising injections that we have available today. Children that survived infancy would be put to work in the Factories or as Chimney Sweeps as a way of providing income for their parents. Working in this time was extremely dangerous, in a time with no health and safety laws were yet put in place, crippling injuries were frequent and working around toxic fumes and chemicals was also damaging. It was not just the lower class who suffered though, even the richest were susceptible to illness with Prince Albert dying in 1861 from Typhoid fever.

Mourning in Victorian Britain was taken very seriously, the mourning period was dependant on the relationship with the deceased. During this time Women were required to wear a Black Crepe dress with a Crepe Veil (for the first six months) before changing to a Black Silk dress. The Veil could be removed after 3 months.  Men could wear their usual black suits, added black gloves and cravats. Widows were expected wear full mourning dress for two years after the death.
The death of her husband sent Queen Victoria into a deep state of mourning of which she never fully recovered. Her public appearances drastically reduced and once it became clear that her mourning would long extend the usual two, the public became worried about her role as Queen. Victoria maintained Alberts room and possessions as if he were there, and wore black for the following 40 years of her life.

A strange mourning ritual that the Victorians took on was Post Mortem Photography. The act of taking photo's with your deceased after they had passed gained popularity in this time period, as a memento and a way to remember the dead. The dead were often propped up to pose with their families, pets or prized possessions. Often they were seen as if to be sleeping, but it was not uncommon for their eyes to be open.

‘Albert, Prince Consort’ (2015) Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert,_Prince_Consort (Accessed: 4 March 2015).

Victorian mourning etiquette (no date). Available at: http://www.tchevalier.com/fallingangels/bckgrnd/mourning/ (Accessed: 4 March 2015).

(no date a). Available at: http://www.viralnova.com/post-mortem-victorian-photographs/ (Accessed: 4 March 2015).

(no date b). Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2677118/A-time-wrong-outfit-lead-disgrace-scandal-New-Costume-Institute-exhibit-explore-strict-world-Victorian-mourning-fashions.html (Accessed: 4 March 2015).

(no date c). Available at: http://www.sparknotes.com/biography/victoria/section5.rhtml (Accessed: 4 March 2015).

(no date d). Available at: http://www.oocities.org/victorianmedicine/iframeh.html (Accessed: 4 March 2015).