Memento Mori

Perhaps the most significant time in Queen Victoria's reign was the period of mourning her husband's death, in December 1861. As I have already studied, disease was the most common cause of death, no one was immune. Albert's disease came and took its toll quickly. In November 1861, he contracted typhoid fever, sick in bed for his remaining days, until he succumbed to his fate and died on December 14th, at 42 years old. Victoria mourned Albert's death deeply for the forty remaining years of her life, rarely appearing in public, and only wearing black.

"How I, who leant on him for all and everything—without whom I did nothing, moved not a finger, arranged not a print or photograph, didn't put on a gown or bonnet if he didn't approve it shall go on, to live, to move, to help myself in difficult moments?" - Queen Victoria in a letter to daughter Victoria, following Albert's untimely death. 

The Prince's room was maintained as if he were still alive, each day the servants were instructed to put out his clothes on his bed, medicine on his bedside table, to bring hot water by his bedside for his morning shave, as they had formerly done in the many years they lived together. Statues were made of him, so his presence would therefore continue living there, and be part of her life still. Memento's were placed throughout Windsor Castle, were she spent majority of her days. After a year of her mourning, it was looked on by the public as obsessive, and an unease about their monarchy rose. This was constantly aggravated by the refusal of the Queen to appear in public. It took almost 2 years for her next public appearance on October 13th 1863, only to reveal a statue of her beloved Albert in Aberdeen, Scotland. The following year was to be her next appearance, riding through the streets in a horse drawn carriage in June, 1864.

Mourning Dress obtained very strict rules. A widow, would be expected to wear a full-length, black crepe dress, with white crepe collars and cuffs, for six months after the death.  On her head she would wear a crepe bonnet with a veil, or a widows cap and veil. The use of fur an seal-skin was also often worn. After these six months, the crepe dress could be removed, and changed to silk, crepe trimmed cashmere or plain black grosgrain. The widows cap would be removed after three months, and the heavy black veil could be changed for a much lighter one. The crepe veil however, carried many concerns by doctors. Being worn for such a long time over the eyes and nose, this could lead to cataracts and blindness, and the dye could lead to a catarrhal disease. Although there was a high risk of this, no woman had the courage to do so. The men however, had it easy, and wore black suits and black cravats. 

Victorian Mourning Dress.
http://karissa8n.livejournal.com/185023.html

Death brought many superstitions and rituals, including mementos of the deceased. Some of the superstitions that I found very interesting are below:

-Stop the clock in a death room or you will have bad luck. 

-If you hear a clap of thunder following a burial it indicates that the soul of the departed has reached heaven.
-If you don’t hold your breath while going by a graveyard you will not be buried.
-If the deceased has lived a good life, flowers would bloom on his grave; but if he has been evil, only weeds would grow.
-If you smell roses when no one is around, someone is going to die.
-If you see yourself in a dream, your death will follow.
-If a sparrow lands on a piano, someone in the home will die.
-If a picture falls off a wall, there will be a death of someone you know.
-A single snowdrop growing in the garden foretells death.
-Mirrors were to be covered so that the spirit of the dead would not get trapped in the looking glass. 

Woman can be seen propping up the body of a deceased infant.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/01/30/memento-mori--victorian-mourning-photography-immortalising-loved-ones-death_n_2580559.html

Mementos of the deceased were obsessively collected by their families. Rings, brooches and even locks of hair were collected to remember the dead. Although photography was still a new concept, families would gather up all their money to have photographs taken of their dead up to 2-3 weeks after the death, and placed usually in living scenes, such as a family portrait. They would even paint the eyes on the dead to make them seem alive. 'Memento Mori' meaning 'Remember your mortality' took form. The deceased would be propped up, either standing or sitting. If, for example, they were a carpenter, they would be photographed in a woodshed, or if they were a priest, a church. Babies and children would be photographed with their families. Some families would even wait until the child had mummified, and dress the body and display as a piece of art. 

Man is propped up for his photograph.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/01/30/memento-mori--victorian-mourning-photography-immortalising-loved-ones-death_n_2580559.html

Victorians became to get really excited about the afterlife, with the 'Spirit Photography' taking flight. This was a double exposure photograph of the deceased joining the family, in a translucent form. The Victorians were not allowed to cry, so they created new ways to grieve. Many families found peace by obtaining mementos, photographs or even taking part in seances. Another way to grieve, was the rise in the park cemetry. A family would go to the cemetry, sit at the grave of the deceased, with a picnic and entertain. These spaces were used as a place for reflection and remembrance, as well as a status of wealth.

Spirit Photography.
Man and woman are joined by the deceased in a double exposure photograph.
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--rIu4FQ6t--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/18m0bflvqpa88jpg.jpg

Death masks would also be made out of bronze, wax or plaster. These death masks would be a token to remember their loved one, and became quite popular. The images of the dead were popular within art, and became a normal image to see. 

Making a plaster death mask, New York circa 1908, George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0deAmxdUL8F_jl9p3BCM0SMo4uvmF54jn6EOaTusKKtUBcnN1C-4Rz4y6ZMfwS3zMloEydXON4e6J7sGB08g3C4rTX6lpkTFccYeAyyMC9xE7zBvTIExumcIfVRSw4P73AajG8hBijZoS/s320/Make+a+Death+Mask.jpg

Duke Of Wellington Death Mask

(Sparknotes, 'Queen Victoria: The Years of Mourning' (online) [viewed 22nd February 2015], available from:http://www.sparknotes.com/biography/victoria/section5.rhtml)
(Elaine Furst, 7th February 2013, '10 Fascinating Death Facts from the Victorian Era' (online) [viewed 22nd February 2015], available from:http://listverse.com/2013/02/07/10-fascinating-death-facts-from-the-victorian-era/)
(Sarah C Nelson, 30th January 2013, 'Memento Mori: How Victorian Mourning Photography Immortalised Loved Ones After Death', [viewed 22nd February 2015], available from:http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/01/30/memento-mori--victorian-mourning-photography-immortalising-loved-ones-death_n_2580559.html)
(History, 'Victorians and the Art of Dying' (online), [viewed 22nd February 2015], available from:http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-death/victorians-and-the-art-of-dying)