In Memorium – Victorian Mourning Exhibit

Death and the Victorians

The Grim Reaper comes for all. Usually, it was a simple wrap into a shroud and placed in a small churchyard. If you were of means, you might get a monument and sarcophagus. But it was the Victorians who made death truly beautiful. From black crepe on the doorknobs and covered mirrors to post mortem photography, it was more than just ritual, it was a lifestyle.

Reaching its peak with the death of Queen Victoria’s Albert in 1861 and becoming even more refined with the technology of the time and the emotional trauma of the Civil War, the Victorian mourning period affected the whole world and changed the way we looked at death and how we treated our newly departed.

This exclusive exhibit will include period mourning attire and jewelry, photography, and other ephemera from this period that were at the same time horrific and romantic. The exhibit will also include a virtual lecture on how the Victorians viewed death and some of the ways they chose to observe it.