The Victorian Era’s Dead

Many cultures focus on death, and even those that don’t do have myths surrounding the loss of life and most cultures have some sort of special tradition for when people die. In the Victorian Era this was especially common, with many different rituals and superstitions all based around death and the dead. For example, this was when photographs first became popular, but due to the inaccessibility, many people would only have photos taken of them after they died.

It was common practice to attempt to make the dead look more lifelike with various poses, makeup, and accessories. The deceased would be dressed in their favorite clothing items, and if their eyes were not open, their eyelids would be painted over to make them look open. After the photo was taken, the eyes would be repainted over the negative. If the deceased was a child, as was frequently the case, they were often photographed with a favorite toy.

In addition, the living often had their photos taken with the dead. Mothers would hide behind a curtain and hold their children up or would pose with the dead child. In many cases, the siblings of the child were in the photo as well. Sometimes there would be more than one corpse in the photo. While most of the time the goal was to make the dead look alive, as if they could stand up at any point, sometimes assisted with clamps or special chairs, the deceased would occasionally be photographed as if they were asleep. Photographs were only one way that the dead were remembered in Victorian times, however.

Locks of hair were sometimes cut from the departed’s head to be made into jewelry or to be used to make a mourning doll if the departed was a child. It was very common in the Victorian Era to use hair to make elaborate broaches, bracelets and earrings. It was also occasionally used to make decorative pieces for the home, although this was a more common practice for hair from the living.

This practice was made popular by Queen Victoria who wore a bracelet made of her husband’s hair every day until her own death 41 years later in 1901. After her death however, hair jewelry quickly fell out of practice.

If the hair from the deceased belonged to a child however, it was often used to make a mourning doll. Although much rarer, sometimes a doll would be made for an adult as well. A mourning doll was similar to a modern day baby doll, made in the child’s likeness. It was made of fabric and stuffed with sand to feel heavy like a real child. The doll was usually made with the deceased’s hair and dressed in their clothing.

The backs of the dolls were flat so that they would lie down nicely. The doll was usually present near the child’s body during the funeral, and once it was over, the doll would either be left at the grave or the family would take it home with them. If the family took it home with them, it was often left in the living room inside a glass coffin to be remembered. Other families however treated the doll like a living breathing child and the doll was placed in a crib or bed, and its clothes would be changed regularly.

If the child that had died was older, the mourning doll may have just been the head and shoulders, with the back flat still so the mourning family of the child could put the doll in a picture frame like a 3D photo of their dead child.

These are just a few practices that the Victorian’s practiced in the case of a loved ones death, though they are possibly the oddest. In light of their way of life and the lack of technology however, can you really blame them?

 

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Published by Tara Sanders

Tara Sanders is a 16 year old writer, co-leads the GSA, and is part of Musical Theatre and Drama. In the past, she has also been involved with Game Development and Speech and Debate. She likes reading, webcomics and anime.

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