#Victorian mourning | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

marzipanandminutiae · 7 months

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I was just looking into the notion that widowers only had to mourn for 1 year after their wives' deaths, during the Victorian era, while widows had to mourn for two. because I've heard that a lot, but it seems to jive more with the Pop History version of the era where mourning existed because Imposing Rules On People Is Fun and All Marriages Were For Money than with the real version, inhabited by real people who idealized love matches and theoretically practiced formal mourning to show that they were going through something and needed gentle treatment

what I've gathered from a brief search for period sources seems to be:

one source from 1839 mentioned the "widows = 2 years; widowers = 1 year" thing

every other source I read (about 7, from various points in the era) implied or stated that the minimum normal period of mourning for widows and widowers was the same

That's a small sample size, but I still think it's significant

men's clothing could often be harder to visibly alter to reflect mourning, relying heavily on things like black cufflinks and collar studs that could be trickier to notice at first glance than. you know. a bonnet with a black veil over someone's face

a lot of sources talking about mourning clothes were fashion magazines aimed at women, and thus would be more likely to talk about women's mourning attire than men's

so my takeaway is that while some people at some parts of this 60-year period felt it acceptable for widowers to mourn for half the period of widows, many others at other times expected any bereaved spouse regardless of gender. obviously, in a highly misogynistic society, women's adherence to ettiquette could be much more scrutinized than men's; a widower who married six months after his wife's death would be looked askance at, but probably not subject to as much censure as a widow who did the same. and obviously, things don't go according to plan and the formal mourning system could of course backfire- forcing a woman into months of social seclusion for an abusive husband, for example

but.

the overall goal was to convey "handle with care" to the outside world. for many people, widowers were expected to need as much care as widows- and therefore to mourn for the same length of time

#victorian #victorian mourning #history #social history #a friend in my costumer circle said she wished she'd had a better way to signal her bereavement when her father died (she was 17)#because nowadays there really isn't a way to convey the same 'handle with care' message #so she really saw the utility of codified mourning signals

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in-herbones · 10 months

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My newest 🖤 comes 6/23 @ 3pm pst

#dark aesthetic #goth aesthetic #artists on tumblr #dark romanticism #victorian gothic #dark romance #dark artist #dark romanticism style #dark fashion #dark romantica #victorian mourning #hand belt #victorian hand belt

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funeral · 1 year

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A widow in heavy mourning. c. 1860-1870.

#mourning #victorian mourning #1800s

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meanvictoriann · 10 months

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#fashion #gothic #gothic girl #vampire #witches #witchyvibes #vintage #goth fashion #vintage fashion #antique #victorian mourning #victorian

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xxnewdawnfades · 2 months

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Victorian Mourning

#victorian era #1800s #1800s art #1800s fashion #19th century #victorian mourning #19th century fashion #19th century art #queen victoria #history #vintage #antique #art #artwork #vintage catalog #dark aesthetic #the mandela catalogue #academia #dark academia

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slightlymediocree · 7 days

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☆Update 2:☆

I remembered to take pics today! Sort of. Only after i had put away my machines and stuff...

Here are (most) of my edwardian undergarments

(i am wearing modern clothes under bcs the internet is weird)

Chemise, bustle pad, underbust corset, petticoat

I still need to make a corset cover someday, ive just been using a second thin chemise over all this:

I used these vintage buttons on the cuffs. I wanted some more security but ran out of buttons so i used small snaps:

Also put one on the collar so i could try it on. I think the placket at the back of the blouse is a little ugly and larger than ive seen in extant garments but i forgot to adjust the pattern for my broad shoulders and need the extra width for comfort.

I tried on the blouse and skirt together:

I may need to loosen the waistband of the skirt, the corset is a bit bulkier than i thought itd be. Also the blouse is just stuffed into the skirt and currently only has one closure on at the collar so it looks a little bit disproportionate. The belt/sash will help smooth everything out so i dont look like im drowning in voile.

I might go without the bustle pad during the final shoot because i think it gives too much volume in the waist/hip area for edwardian tastes. Its from an 1890s pattern, so the silhouette is a bit out of date. I should probably try the skirt on without the pad before extending the waistband though.

Im pretty happy with how the sleeves turned out! I have some vintage nottingham lace i bought on etsy from penelope textiles that i was going to add to another project. I think ill sew some different laces together and add it to the cuffs to elongate them a bit. Since this dress is supposed to be from roughly 1905, i want the sleeves to look as they wouldve in that time. The photos ive seen mostly feature large ruffles at the ends of elbow-length sleeves but i dont think ill be likely to wear ruffles very often. Ive also seen tighter cuffs that extend from the elbow to mid-forearm or from the elbow to wrist. I think the elbow-length sleeves are a feature of afternoon dresses but i could be wrong. Maybe that was just day dresses? Not sure.

Im also not sure if i want to get gloves/a hat/parasol for this project. On one hand, it would look really cool for the video. On the other hand, it sounds quite expensive and i doubt ill wear it again. I dont want to buy things i wont use and create waste, theres enough of that in fashion. I have a pink 1900s parasol that i might cover with black fabric, but idk.

There isnt much left to do! Im gonna make a list here so i have it written somewhere:

-sew snaps onto blouse

-finish blouse hem

-attatch lace cuffs

-press pleats on sash/belt

-order synthetic whalebones

-add bones, hook/bars to belt

This is just the sewing tasks though, i need to edit the video clips and record audio. I have no idea how to do any of this. I just downloaded davinci video editor so hopefully i can figure it out. The only experience i have with video making/editing was in 3rd grade on ipads on the imovie app. Ive just been binge watching bernadette banner videos bcs i love her video style.

Any tips/feedback are much appreciated! ♡

Date: 4/22/24

#edwardian fashion #1900s #early 1900s #edwardian era #edwardian #victorian mourning #victorian dress #victorian era #victorian fashion #fashion history #historical costuming #historical dress #historical fashion

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widowshouse · 7 months

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Today's WIP~

A patchwork bat collar, made entirely with antique scrap fabric and sewn on by hand.

Still a lot of work left to do on it, but its coming along.

Shop link HERE

#victorian goth #gothic #romantic goth #victorian mourning #dark academia #dark romanticism #dark cottagecore #gothic sewing #gothic sewist #sewist #thewidowshouse

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empress-alexandra · 10 months

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Princess Alix of Hesse - later Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia - in mourning of her father Grand Duke Louis IV of Hesse, 1892.

#Princess Alix of Hesse #Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia #Empress Alexandra Feodorovna #Empress Alexandra #last tsarina #victorian #victorian mourning #Victorian fashion #house of hesse #romanovs #imperial russia #Imperial Family #russian imperial family #1890s #1892 #1890s fashion #history colored #colored photography

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hairtusk · 2 years

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Mourning brooch containing the hair of Anne Brontë, belonging to her sister Charlotte

#Victorian mourning #hair jewelry #hair jewellery #Victorian mourning jewellery #victorian mourning jewelry #anne brontë #charlotte brontë #emily brontë #the brontë sisters

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bloodmoon-mist · 1 year

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The Widow - Anders Zorn

#goth #gothic #goth aesthetic #victorian #victorian aesthetic #macabre #mourning #victorian mourning #dark aesthetic #paintings #art

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marzipanandminutiae · 2 years

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they’re just perfume vials guys

ancient Romans: the kings of Persia make their wives and concubines collect the tears they weep while said king is away in fancy vials, to prove how much they missed him!

Victorians: ancient Roman widows collected their tears in fancy vials, to put in their late husbands’ tombs!

modern antiques dealers: Victorians collected their tears in fancy vials after a loved one died, as part of their Bizarre Obsessive Goth Mourning Process!

literally no culture in known history: has been currently proven to have done this on a wide scale, for any reason

#history #victorian #mourning #tear catchers #victorian mourning #I find this hilarious to be clear #everyone has always desperately wanted tear catchers to be A Thing

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in-herbones · 1 year

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Another of my newest creations. Boiled wool blend, all hand beaded, distressed silk taffeta neck pleat🖤

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meanvictoriann · 7 months

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Mean Victorian.

#fashion #gothic #gothic girl #vampire #witches #witchyvibes #vintage #goth fashion #vintage fashion #antique #ambrotype #dark photoshoot #daguerreotype #victorian #victorian mourning #victorian era

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la-belle-histoire · 3 months

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In Memoriam, Alfred Stevens. 1861.

#aesthetic #art #art history #fashion #historical fashion #historical art #women in art #victorian #victorian aesthetic #women #victorian mourning #Victorian mourning dress #mourning #grief in art #1860s fashion #1860s dress #1860s mourning wear

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slightlymediocree · 9 days

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Documenting one of my projects here!

Im taking an anthropology class called Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion, and our final proj is to present any topic relating to the class in any medium. My topic is Victorian/Edwardian mourning rituals and customs. I chose to recreate an Edwardian (c. 1905-ish) half mourning dress!!

So far, ive went through several rounds of designing and 0 mockups bc i dont have time for that. Im recreating everything using only methods that would have been available at the time. I currently own 2 antique sewing machines from 1911: one hand crank and one treadle. A lot of this project will likely be done by hand because i just enjoy it :)

I'm using a cotton lawn, which, according to Victorian mourning guides, would not have likely been used because the dyed might bleed onto the skin, but I live in a very hot area and will *absolutely not* be wearing wool or silk in 95F weather. The sash is (regrettably) poly taffeta because i dont have the money for silk. Im using snaps and a few vintage buttons for the closures.

Above are pics of some sketches, a blouse fitting, and the belt/sash ive draped. Ive seen similar sashes on lingerie/summer dresses and thought it might be fitting. Taffetta probably wouldve been used towards the end of half mourning according to etiquette books, but ive found extant examples that suggest otherwise. I also found that etiquette rules were a bit more relaxed in Edwardian times compared to Victorian.

I have the skirt and blouse placketts cut out and i need to attatch them. I might add some lace to the cuffs but idk yet. I kinda like the simple short cuffs but a lot of 1905-6 dresses ive seen have large ruffles at the sleeve. I dont really want to make ruffles but they do look cool. I also have a chemise, bustle pad, corset, and petticoat done but i felt weird posting a picture in (Edwardian) underwear, even if it covers much more than our modern underwear.

I will be updating this page and plan to present this project in video format on youtube, ill post a link here once I finish!

Date: 4/19/2024

#edwardian #1900s #1905 #fashion history #victorian mourning #victorian era #edwardian era #victorian dress #historical dress #historical costuming #mourning dress

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roses--and--rue · 1 year

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This enormous Victorian vulcanite cross is one of the nicest pieces of jewelry I’ve had in the shop. Is it a mourning jewel? Maybe:

Just because a piece of Victorian clothing or jewelry is black does NOT mean it was worn during mourning. Then, as now, people wore cross shaped jewelry & the color black all the time. That said, vulcanite was also a popular material for mourning jewelry as it offered a less expensive alternative to carved jet. This would be suitable jewel to wear, especially during a later stage of mourning when more elaborate embellishments were permissable.

#antiques #victorian #victorian mourning #mourning jewelry

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