Victorian Mourning Practices | Woven Strands

Co-curators John Whitenight and Evan Michelson discuss the history behind Victorian hair art, and how it relates to British and American cultural norms for mourning loved ones in the 19th century.
Our special exhibition WOVEN STRANDS is a rare display of several private collections of hair art:
muttermuseum.org/exhibitions/w...
Music: Gymnopedie No 1 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com/
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[@erinrising2799]

I do kinda wish that at least the arm band tradition would come back. Just to let people know you have lost someone, maybe they would be a little kinder

[@JaimeMesChiens]

Erin Rising I wholeheartedly agree with you.

[@parkersre-creation]

The hospice I volunteer for gives black silicone bracelets out that say "remember" on them.

[@FreeSpirit47]

People were more kind to each other, then, at least to each other's faces. Gossip was more rampant, more accepted, even thought of as a form of entertainment. Unfortunately, it was also thought of more as truth than fiction. At that time, gossip could ruin a reputation, destroy a business, even implicate criminal charges. Have to take the bitter with the sweet. Many of these practices that seem so quaint, so sweet, were only or mainly foisted upon females. Females of all ages. It seems as though it was just one more method used to control women. This is not a feminist view, it's a realistic view. It's as real as the coverture laws that were only abolished completely in the USA in 1960.Slavery had been abolished almost 100 years earlier, women were still owned by men. Coverture laws mandated that females were their father or male next of kin's property until she married. That next of kin, if her father was deceased, often was her brother or uncle or even her son if her father AND her husband had died. Then, the reason she changed her last name to his, was to indicate whose property she became. Women still do this, in today's world as a tradition, not realizing where it originated or what it used to mean. During the time when women were forced to mourn, rape was considered a crime committed by women & a man taking his right to enjoyment. If, as was said at the time, the woman "got herself with child or pregnant" she was shunned by society for doing such a thing. Her options to support herself were very limited. School teacher was a common way, yet, if she got herself pregnant even that option was closed to her. Prostitution was her only option, unless the father of the baby chose to marry her or support her and the child, that was rare. So, the good old days had their pitfalls, just as the good new days, do.

[@missaustenfloatingonbliss1846]

I have been fascinated w Victorian mourning pieces since I visited London several yrs ago !I have some pieces of taxidermy but Victorian mourning and hair pieces are just fascinating 🥰I hope to find some 🙏🏻❤️❤️❤️

[@emmastoychest6284]

I bought mine from an amazing dealer in St. Charles Missouri- Fox and Hound antiques! Reach out to him, he’ll hunt one down for you if he doesn’t have any at the moment!

[@ChibiNeco]

I wish they showed the hair work more close up! It is beautiful and interesting piece of history.

[@zhinka1]

It was nice, women could actually step away from society and mourn, these days we are expected to head back to work a couple days after our children die.

[@fashiondiva6972]

There’s a vast difference between opportunity to mourn and an expectation/obligation to do so in an extreme capacity in perpetuity. And it was an expectation only of women, which was utterly absurd. So yes, it would be nice to be afforded appropriate mourning time today but I most definitely don’t want to go back to an era where these expectations are part of my daily life. That and I also like my right to vote.

[@Cora.T]

Ask a mortician did a far more in depth video about this, and you'll see that it is not okay at all. If you where mourning, society would be more involved in your personal life than they had ever been. You would not get to properly grieve, you would constantly be worried that you looked grieving enough because if you didn't society would judge even to the point of basically kicking you out. Also those black clothes smelled horrible and contained a lot of toxins that caused issues such as migraines

[@dullypuketon2932]

Zhinka is ignorant, far left femishit, and twatting.

[@FreeSpirit47]

It wasn't so much that women "could" step away, she was mandated by social rules to mourn. It was only the women who were required to mourn, the male children & men carried on, business as usual. Many aspects of those days were geared toward controlling women. Most were kept so occupied they had no time or energy to rebel.

[@MiniMuon]

I think many women were free from many suffers and violence if their husband died, but in my view society doesn't want to give them any freedom, so they made this widow-prison. Women lost their infants, child were dying a lot and women died in labour a lot, lack of hygiene and medicine, child being pregnant and so on. Society didn't care, they just took next forced marriage child bride to life her "happy" life. You can make many sides of "these days" and think how much is just the same culture as it was before, my society gives time to mourn no matter what gender you are and healthcare treats you like a human being - and they are allowed to do that, can't say that about many states in US.

[@JaimeMesChiens]

Fascinating! Have you discussed port-mortem photography in another video?

[@floraf01]

I thought this was about some kind of Victorian morning routine and clicked in 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@assilemasmr]

I like so so much this!

[@kristingallo2158]

Well little did they know, we can clone their deceased now with that stored hair.

[@EmmaJo-e]

I'd rather have the black arm band tradition than the whole rigmarole of wearing deepest black/widows weeds,I know it being the customs of the day,queen victoria really took it much more Further,that said you would think she bring the only one who's husband died.

[@gwynquiros9462]

👀

[@sophierobinson2738]

memento mori. nice idea.

[@ieatplastic1756]

Have you heard of the deleted channel unus Annus? I ask because they use the same words.

[@cheryllakin6736]

But isn't that the way it is in all applications, the men can just walk away.

[@kristingallo2158]

Yes.

[@hoodpriestessphilosophy7669]

Oh yeah. They can create a whole child and choose not to do it. Meh, I don't feel like it.

[@nickkellerman1638]

Uggg all about the “poor woman” again 🙄

[@toastercatx]

There there, dearie. When you're ready to reach out of that closet at last, we'll be waiting.