XIV Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2022

The Victorian cult of death or the cult of mourning is a psycho-social phenomenon of the Victorian era, expressed in increased attention to the theme of death and the fashion for gloomy mourning paraphernalia. The Victorian cult of death was reflected in the fashion, art, literature, and architectural planning of the time.

Interest in death as such is characteristic of most human cultures and eras, and each finds its own unique expression. The theme of death in its Christian interpretation for many centuries remained pronounced in European culture, as evidenced, for example, by the iconography of death that took shape in the Late Middle Ages; and therefore much of what was characteristic of the Victorian mourning cult took shape in earlier epochs and was then borrowed from them.

In Europe, an increased interest in death was observed at the end of the Middle Ages, during and after the great plague, when a specific genre called the “dance of death” was born, then in the 16th-17th centuries, embodied in the genre of vanitas (still life, the semantic center of the composition of which is human skull)

However, the second half of the 19th century in England is characterized by a much more pronounced passion for the theme of death than previous decades.
The cult of mourning becomes a mass phenomenon among the upper and middle classes and acquires a clearly established etiquette regulation.

The founder of the "fashion for mourning" was Queen Victoria herself. It is known that she suffered extremely hard the death of her beloved husband, Prince Albert, who died in 1861 at the age of forty-two, probably from typhoid fever. Victoria, who survived him by forty years, continued to mourn for him until his death. After her husband's death, she rarely appeared in public and led a relatively secluded life, almost never in London.[1]. Because of this, she was popularly nicknamed "The Widow of Windsor".

It is known that the furnishings of the prince's room remained exactly the same as during his lifetime: the servants kept order in the room every day and prepared things for the deceased, as if he could come in at any moment. In addition, there was a bust of Prince Albert in the queen's bedroom, and above it hung a large portrait of him.

Victorian funeral.
Funerals in Victorian England were a significant social ritual, as well as an indicator of the status and financial situation of the family of the deceased. Burials were usually carried out on the fourth day to rule out the possibility of being buried alive (a common phobia in the Victorian era), and also to have time to gather all the relatives. However, the corpse could remain in the house waiting for burial for a longer period - for example, if low-income relatives did not have time to collect money for the funeral or take time off from work. In the house at that time it was supposed to: draw the curtains and stop the clock, curtain the mirrors and turn the photographs over so that the spirit of the deceased would not inhabit them, make mourning home decorations and accessories (shawls, wreaths, etc.).

Trade unions and mutual benefit societies for workers provided benefits not only in case of illness or dismissal, but also the death of a worker or someone from his family in the amount of up to 12 pounds[4]. The funeral of a child was cheaper than the funeral of an adult, and they were taken to organize special funeral clubs where the poor could insure the life of their child. In the event of the death of a child, funeral clubs paid parents 3-5 pounds, when the most modest funeral cost 1 pound. There are known cases of deliberate killing or failure to help a sick child in order to receive this money; also, the life of a child could be insured at once in several funeral clubs[5].

In 1870, for £3 5s, the undertakers provided the following package: a horse-drawn carriage, a coffin without decorations but lined with cloth; coffin cover; gloves, scarves and headbands for mourners. The same amount included the services of a coachman, porters and a mute mourner (his task was to silently mourn over the coffin). For a large amount, it was possible to order a luxurious funeral procession with a hearse and several funeral carriages drawn by black horses, an expensive coffin with decorations, several mourners and mourners.

Funeral for 5 pounds included: a hearse and a mourning carriage with one horse; coffin made of elm, decorated and covered with black material, velvet for the clothes of hired participants in the ceremony, vestments for the coachman. Funerals for 50 pounds or more included all the same, only of better quality and in a larger volume: a hearse and several carriages drawn by four horses; a sturdy and ornate coffin with cambric sheets and pillows inside; full mourning vestments for all hired participants of the ceremony numbering more than a dozen people.

The funeral procession was supposed to attract attention, based on this, the route from the deceased's house to the cemetery was thought out.

Sunday as a holiday was considered an inappropriate time for a funeral, so the wealthy segments of the population tried to finish all the ceremonies before that day. The poor and workers, on the contrary, buried their dead most often on Sunday, as this was the only day free from work. The rich could afford to be buried in family vaults or graves with luxurious and durable tombstones, while the poor were often buried in common graves designed for four.

After the funeral service in the church and the funeral itself, a commemoration followed in the house of the deceased. The commemoration was also attended by distant relatives, who were sent special invitation cards in a black frame.

The recommended duration of mourning depended on the degree of kinship with the deceased, the longest mourning was due in the event of the death of a spouse or spouse, a little less long in the event of the death of a parent or child, even shorter for other close relatives - brothers, sisters, grandparents, and finally the least lengthy for uncles, aunts and cousins. At the same time, it was considered appropriate, but not obligatory, to wear a relatively short mourning for other close people who were not related by kinship, for example, friends.

Mourning had its own stages, its own colors and types of fabric for each stage.

In the 19th century, an English widow was in mourning for just over 2 years. Full mourning lasted 1 year and 1 day. The widow's full mourning attire consisted of a black dress with a simple collar and wide white muslin cuffs, a bombazine cape (a blend of silk and wool) and a hat with a mourning crepe veil for going out and a special cap worn at home.

The second period of mourning lasted for the next 9 months and allowed slight indulgence in the form of clothing: modest trimming of the dress was allowed and mourning decorations appeared. The veil was worn pulled back.

The third period was semi-mourning, which lasted from 3 to 6 months, dresses and decorations were of more refined fabrics and color gradually appeared.

Dresses were sewn from Henrietta fabric (to the touch it resembled cashmere) and Melrose (cloth from Scotland). There were even special mourning handkerchiefs made from French linen. When the fashion for furs came from America, widows kept pace with the fashion, with the only restriction being the black color of the fur. The ladies wore the fur of fur seal, black beaver, and astrakhan fur.

A man was supposed to wear mourning for two years, but at his discretion, mourning could be limited to just one step. The men could live their normal lives and continue to work.

Appearance was limited to the usual dark suit, black gloves, a band on a hat, or a mourning band on a sleeve.

During the full, second and ordinary mourning, social life ceased, attendance at any entertainment events or holidays was limited, and only the closest friends were accepted as guests. At the same time, when visiting a house whose residents are in mourning, it was supposed to dress appropriately so as not to offend the memory of the deceased. For men, the requirements were less stringent than for women - they could still engage in work and political life.

Funeral fashion.

The main colors of mourning were black and white; the latter was appropriate at the end of the first and second periods of mourning. Despite the rather strict restrictions prescribed by etiquette and Victorian morality, mourning clothes were also subject to fashion trends and were part of the fashion industry. In the "golden age" of the mourning cult (1860s - 1890s), all kinds of shops specializing in mourning accessories and funeral services flourished. While the well-to-do strata of the population had special clothes for different periods of mourning, and in several sets and with the appropriate set of accessories, the poorer people were forced to dye the clothes they already had black; such services were provided by dyers. Clothing for children was also white or gray with black trim. This concerned mainly infants and children over the age of 15, as it was believed that children under 15 were not able to cope with the grief of mourning. Girls were considered women from 17 and could be in full mourning. The smallest details of the attire and all accessories without exception - gloves, headdress, parasol and so on - had to correspond to mourning. Even a Victorian metal eustachian tube is known, sheathed in black fabric on the occasion of mourning, so that the shine of the metal does not attract attention.

Embellishments were of particular importance. During the period of strict mourning, they were completely prohibited, and for other periods there were special mourning decorations made in accordance with tradition. Mourning decorations were not supposed to be bright or shiny, the most preferred colors, as well as for the whole image, were black and white. White, symbolizing innocence, was appropriate in the event of the death of a child or an unmarried girl. The most popular materials for the manufacture of mourning jewelry were: jet and its cheap substitute - black glass, pearls, black and white enamel, deep wine-colored garnet, as well as the hair of the deceased and miniature portraits. Gold and diamonds, as brilliant materials, were considered unsuitable for mourning, but were occasionally used. The replacement for diamonds could be steel, imitating cutting.

In addition to color, mourning decorations had to contain some detail hinting at their purpose: the initials or portrait of the deceased, his hair, a mournful inscription, an image of a tombstone or other symbols - for example, a hand (a symbol of fidelity), doves and a heart (symbols of love) in black meant loyalty and love for the deceased.

The Victorian period was the last in the history of the development of society, when the cult of death was likened to a certain celebration, creating a special ritual, thus reminiscent of Ancient Egypt and some other cultures before them. Many Victorian-era cemeteries have been demolished to make way for parks or public housing projects. Modern tombstones are no longer as large and richly decorated as those created a century earlier.

Today's society does not arrange funerals on such a grand scale. One of the reasons for this is that most people have a dislike and superstitious fear of discussing death, cemeteries and the dead, despite the fact that funerals and mourning occur in the world every day. Cremations are becoming more popular today due to the lack of places for burial.

List of literature:

[Electronic resource] - Access mode. — URL:https://brenta-aury.livejournal.com/331285.html

[Electronic resource] - Access mode. — URL:https://musei-smerti.ru/viktorianskiy-traur/

Leisa Picard. Religious movements and funeral rituals in Victorian London

Strachey, Lytton. Queen Victoria. — London: Chatto and Windus;Christopher Hibbert. Queen Victoria

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