“Good Mourning”? A Look at Victorian Women’s Mourning Etiquette

Mourning etiquette was rather elaborate during the Victorian Era, particularly for women. I explain how Queen Victoria inspired these traditions, and look at recommended mourning periods, “widow’s weeds,” mourning warehouses, and (of course) the ubiquitous crepe. ***** References Compass Rose Design. “History of Victorian Mourning Jewelry.” https://www.compassrosedesign.com/pages/history-of-victorian-mourning-jewelry Duffy, E. B. The ladies' and gentlemen's etiquette: a complete manual of the manners and dress of American society. https://archive.org/details/ladiesgentlemens00duff/page/6/mode/2up Gray, Kyrie. “Victorian Women Took Their Mourning Rituals Very Seriously.” https://medium.com/history-of-women/victorian-women-took-their-mourning-very-seriously-d64307f0ab87 Matthews, Mimi. “Shades of Victorian Fashion: Lilacs, Lavenders, Plums, and Purples.” https://www.mimimatthews.com/2016/08/22/shades-of-victorian-fashion-lilacs-lavenders-plums-and-purples/ McDaniel, Katherine. “Angels in Black: Victorian Women in Mourning.” https://greeleymuseums.com/victorian-women-in-mourning/ Sears, Jocelyn. “Wearing a 19th-Century Mourning Veil Could Result in — Twist — Death.” https://www.racked.com/2018/3/29/17156818/19th-century-mourning-veil#:~:text=Unfortunately%2C%20due%20to%20the%20dyes%20and%20chemicals%20used,in%20New%20York.%20Photo%3A%20TIMOTHY%20A.%20CLARY%2FAFP%2FGetty%20Images Smith, Nicola. “In Mourning for Prince Albert.” https://www.historytoday.com/archive/feature/mourning-prince-albert Tetrault, Sam. “Victorian Mourning: Dress & Customs Explained.” https://www.joincake.com/blog/victorian-mourning/ Walton, Geri. “Victorian Mourning: An Art Form in the 19th Century.” https://www.geriwalton.com/victorian-mourning/ Woodyard, Chris, editor. The Victorian Book of the Dead. Kestrel Publications, 2014. ***** Email: [email protected] Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners! Check out the Dark Stories from the Campfire Podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3LgtKI4MvavrAHWGHxyIVU?si=cCXMeyuJRweKUFWY0a6OBA, or wherever you listen!