![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.evildressmaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/inenglish.gif?resize=214%2C100\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWhen I was thinking about what to post in my Christmas calendar, I thought I would absolutely want to tell you about Victorian mourning. It seems a bit macabre to a modern person. Perhaps even a little unsuitable. Mourning was a phenomenon of it’s time. It was made popular by Queen Victoria. When her husband Prince Albert suddenly died, she was devastated by grief. She spent years isolated from public and wore black mourning attire for the rest of her life, 40 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the example by Victoria, others of her time started to follow complicated mourning rituals, from outfits to elaborate tombstones and other rules of etiquette. Mourning etiquette varied depending how close person the deceased was to a person. Widow(er)’s mourning was two years. To those who lost their child or parents it was a year long, mourners of their grandparents or siblings it was 6 months and so on. On full mourning the outfit was always completely black. Usually it was combined with black creped silk or other matte black crepe fabric. After while those crepe details could be removed, it was called slithing the mourning. During the mourning period, people slowly advanced from black to gray, mauve and finally to white colour. For men the mourning was much easier, they could just wear the black suit they probably would wear anyway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition of the actual mourning etiquette, it became common to photograph the deceased, sometimes with the living family by their side. Especially these post-mortem photos are quite shocking or atleast disgusting to modern people. However we have to remember that photography was relatively new invention. If people could not afford or otherwise were not able to get their portait taken, it was taken after their death. It might have been the only ever photo taken of them. Modern medicine was still quite crude and treatments often available only for those with wealth. Death was, in a way, much closer to people than nowadays. People might have been more used to seeing dead than now or their attitude towards death was different in general. For these reasons, photo of their dead family member was not disgusting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here in Finland it is very rare to find authentic victorian era mourning clothes, but sometimes you bump into mourning jewelry or other items. Allthough here in Finland mourning was not as elaborate as in England. Here people used to send invitations to funerals but in UK they even had photos or postcards made or carried mourning ribbons on their watches or chatelaines. Jewelry was common way to mourn because it was easy to do. Often the mourning jewelry was shape of a hand, holding flower, bouquet or basked, perhaps a cross-shaped or medallion with persons picture inside. If hair was used, skillfull artists created fancy weaves or curls of them. Earrings, necklaces, brooches, watch fobs or rings were made of hair, or created beautiful curls which were placed under glass inside brooch or pendant. I have two mourning brooches. I have shown the hand with floral wreath in the blog before, but I don’t think you have seen this other one. Typically jewelry was made of jet or deceased hair, but also black glass, ebonite, pressed horn, gutta percha, bakelate, enamel etc. Also small mother of pearl beads, ivory, porcelain, gold, silver, marcasite, enamel and other dark or modest materials were acceptable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After Victorian times mourning faded away as fashion, but even as late as 1950’s and 60’s mourning veils were in use and black is considered still the most suitable clothing for funeral. But long mourning is nowhere near as popular as it used to be. Around the world the traditions vary of course and black isn’t the colour of mourning everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kun mietin juttuaiheita joulukalenteria varten ajattelin, ett\u00e4 haluan ehdottomasti tarinoida t\u00e4ll\u00e4 kertaa viktoriaanisesta suruetiketist\u00e4. Se tuntuu nykyihmisest\u00e4 monesti jotenkin makaaberilta ja ep\u00e4sopivaltakin. Sureminen muotina oli sekin oman aikansa ilmi\u00f6. Suremisen nosti muotiin kuningatar Victoria. Puoliso Albertin kuollessa \u00e4killisesti, Victoria oli surun murtama, vietti l\u00e4hes eristyksiss\u00e4 vuosia ja k\u00e4ytti mustaa surupukua koko loppu el\u00e4m\u00e4ns\u00e4 ajan, 40… <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.evildressmaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/surukorut1.jpg?resize=768%2C1024\")
I am not good at identifying these materials, but these two are clearly made of different materials. Hand is much more focused and sharp on details. Flower brooch has much rounder and softer details and edges. <\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.evildressmaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/surukorut2.jpg?resize=768%2C1024\")
Flower looks little bit like wood even.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.evildressmaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/surukorut3.jpg?resize=730%2C990\")
I have kept this brooch on the dressing table, silly me. That’s why it is terribly dusty. Cleaning dust off of this kind of very detailed jewelry is very tricky. Apologies for that, but atleast now you can see the details well. <\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.evildressmaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/surukorut4.jpg?resize=768%2C1024\")
Hand brooch was missing a lock for the needle, so I made one. Flower brooch is missing a needle, but I haven’t had time to make a new one yet. On the back side you can also see the differences on the materials. Bottom one looks like has been cast. Upper one might have been carved and the backside is badly worn. I wonder if it has some sort of coating.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.evildressmaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/surukorut5.jpg?resize=800%2C985\")
Brooch needle mechanism has hallmark RD No 15623. I haven’t really found much information about that, except that perhaps the brooch is from 1885. However I have not been able to confirm this, so that information should be trusted with some reservations.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"