We Recreated A Victorian Funeral

"Miss Kate Lynn" at your service, for your Victorian home funeral needs!
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**CREDITS**
Mortician: Caitlin Doughty
Producer & Writer: Louise Hung (@LouiseHung1)
Editor & Graphics: Landis Blair (@landisblair)
Molly: Jenny Osorio (You're the best, Jenny!)
All funeral procession footage courtesy of Eric Weeks (© Eric Weeks 2019). Thank you to Eric for helping create this video!
This video could not have been possible without the Merchant's House Museum, the museum staff and volunteers, and Margaret Halsey Gardiner.
**MUSIC**
Greta Sting by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommon...)
Source: incompetech.com...
Artist: incompetech.com/
Classical Music 'String Quartet' (Royalty Free Music/ BGM) by Lee Jaerhyang
Source: • (무료 배경음악) Classical Mu...
Artist: music.naver.co...
Danse Macabre - Busy Strings by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommon...)
Source: incompetech.com...
Artist: incompetech.com/
Danse Macabre by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommon...)
Source: incompetech.com...
Artist: incompetech.com/
**SELECTED SOURCES/ADDITIONAL READING**
Death in the Victorian Family
Jalland, Pat. Oxford University Press Inc., New York. 1996.
"House of Mourning - Victorian Mourning & Funeral Customs in the 1890s"
www.victoriana....
The Victorian Book of the Dead
Woodyard, Chris. Kestral Publications, Chris Woodyard, 2014.
"Victorian Mourning and Funerary Practices"
victorianmonst...
"How the Victorians Dealt with Death"
owlcation.com/...
"A Victorian Obsession with Death"
www.berkeley.e...
Beyond the Dark Veil
The Thanatos Archive. Grand Central Press & Last Gasp, 2015.

[@GalenWings]

Shout out to Molly. She killed it.

I thought her performance was rather stiff.

[@Rivi_Styx]

She was dying to play the part 😂😂

[@historyarmyproductions]

XD

[@GM-qq1wi]

F

[@j.whiteoak6408]

Yes .. She's a dead ringer for a corpse!

[@Revellius21]

Might be a bit expensive, but this looks like a new series for real. Funerals from the past and around the world, I like it!

[@kmeshashebaa]

I was thinking that too ! It would be so fascinating

[@naturalflowerhead2126]

Arhok21 omg that’s brilliant

[@ianhumphry1]

F-TV all funeral, all the time. Catchy slogan. I had this idea years ago but will probably never start the channel. I believe it would be successful. There were millions who watched lady di funeral. And everyone in the US tunes in to watch a president when laying in state.

[@thevoblikovfamily9098]

Same!

[@GlassShark86]

Next Up: SKY BURIAL!

[@melskunk]

Says a lot when something is actually weird enough that New Yorkers stop and gawk

[@thejudgmentalcat]

They probably thought it was a late Halloween gag.

[@nivekian]

NY'er and Goth Stuff blend...

[@Lookielou]

Kevin Murphy I’ve never thought about that but makes sense

[@shinylilfish]

We're all just like "ooo! This looks interesting!!"

[@SteppingRaven56]

no kidding

[@agustinperuzzi]

How to perform a Victorian Funeral You'll need: - A shit ton of arsenic

[@anonthe-third2367]

Incidentally that was how the funeral came to be needed.

[@urban_gse_]

Oh my god Bethany get the arsenic I think little Timmy is dying.

[@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive]

@@anonthe-third2367The arsenic industry was self sustaining until pesky government cost those hard working people their livelihood.

[@slow_momo]

"They are covered the entire time, to protect their dignity, even in death." .... "Then they shove rags into every single orifice of the dead body."

[@wyomingadventures]

Got to prevent leakage!☻

[@jerseycitysteve]

Ask the mortician about what is done with orifices today. Basically the same thing.

[@charlesbrentner4611]

Makes sense. Decomposition generates gases so they would want to eliminate as many points where it could easily be expelled as possible.

[@davedining5069]

Knotted Rags

[@malykoth]

"Dignity...always dignity!"

[@fruitylaura]

Shoutout to “Molly”! I’m really impressed with her ability to play a corpse. I’ve seen far less convincing corpses on TV Shows.

[@rev.jennyosorio7003]

Thank you!! Had fun and the coffin was very comfortable. No joke

[@avrilynravenee5143]

@@rev.jennyosorio7003 youre alive?? i thought you were a wax figure! good job!!

[@rev.jennyosorio7003]

@@avrilynravenee5143 thank you!! Lol

[@jz8805]

She moved her finger at 8:07

[@QuarrellaDeVil]

@@jz8805 And helped close her other eye at 6:17. We're gonna have to reconsider that Oscar for Jenny. 😊

[@TheChaosDragoness]

I love this channel more than the Victorian people loved arsenic.

[@fionafiona1146]

Really "emerald green" (copper arsenic) jelly was very popular!

[@mimisezlol]

I'm not sure that's physically possible

[@fionafiona1146]

@@mimisezlol You can only love arsenic in small doses or for limited time, youtu.be hasn't had that issue yet.

[@minjaeelio]

@@mimisezlol Some people actually take arsenic in small amounts to relieve pain! In fact, many poisons aren't actually poisonous if you take only a very small amount. (not recommending anyone does this though unless a licensed professional prescribes it!)

[@baronvonleppe5029]

Don't forget exploding stoves

[@MrsKimchula]

My father passed in November. Thanks to you I didn’t feel like I was at the mercy of a funeral home. I was able to respect his wishes and obtain a direct cremation. I was also able to arrange a service for him at a national cemetery with honors, and have a low key reception near our home. I was even able to apply to the VA for reimbursement for his cremation. Our only expenses we’re the urn, food and drink. Less than 2k. Thanks for empowering people to “do death” the way they want.

[@dawingiedalingy]

CAITLIN! Bill Gates gave your book “From Here to Eternity” as part of his Reddit secret Santa gift this year as one of his favorite books!! I saw the cover in the unboxing & had to let you know! I hope you see this! P.S. I love “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons From the Crematory” it changed my life, how I see the world, and I was able to discuss with my family members what they would like done with their bodies post-mortem. I can’t wait to get my hands on “From Here to Eternity” ❤️ Happy Holidays & a happy New Year/Decade to you & your loved ones!

[@iphasia1]

Omg, so cool I'm so happy for you May Phoenix

[@lifeofmeiandmr.sriracha385]

Best supporting actress: Molly

[@caseyblair550]

@greenmean1 you know this channel is all about getting closer to death and corpses but I think everyone else will agree that its for the best if you don't

[@ameliac2540]

@@caseyblair550 hmmm who am I more likely to believe regarding death... Nathan and his 2 followers... or Caitlin and her 1.2 million... can't make up my mind..,

[@duncanbryson1167]

I don't live in Glasgow (about 15 miles away) but there's a Glaswegian phrase which is usually said sort of jokingly by way of exaggeration: Molly was pure dead brilliant 😁

[@irisheyesofbelfast]

@@caseyblair550 so because YOU think that way you believe the majority agree???? Oh how wrong you are!! Speak for yourself because obviously you have no clue. What are you? Like 12yo?? I certainly wouldn't say this channel is to bring us closer to death and corpses. I have no doubt the biggest motivation for this channel is to answer questions many people are afraid to ask for fear of being called a morbid weirdo. People sub to this channel and can ask questions some what anonymously, and it is a very death positive channel. You would be surprised the numbers of people out there with an interest in such topics, but too afraid to say so. There are MANY death positive groups on Facebook and Instagram. Many people have a genuine interest, with some just wanting questions answered out of morbid curiosity. Today, death is so hidden from the public, and some people refuse to even go to wakes. The more educated on said topic, the better. It is a natural part of life, and knowing the routines, brings comfort to many people. We shouldn't be afraid to talk about it, but many are. Caitlin helps people in so many ways, with just having this channel.

[@Adara007]

The "good death" in Victorian times sounds quite stressful especially for women: the scrutiny of widows sounds awful. As a widow, I'm glad we've passed those repressive days especially minus the arsenic-soaked dresses.

[@SkoomaCat]

You are so right!

[@balthiersgirl2658]

Arabic was all over the Victorian home green dresses green wallpaper

[@k.m.223]

On the up side, if the arsenic gets you then at least you don't have to worry about all the funeral arrangements.

[@XyraSelene]

Well, who has a pleasant sadness? If you're gonna be sad, might as well be miserable lol

[@Adara007]

@@k.m.223 Yes albeit I think pre-planning one's funeral arrangements was mentioned? Even minimal research finds Victorian times very repressive for women both in terms of expected behaviours, women having no right to vote, sue, have parental custody, or to own property. Women's roles were as mothers, housekeepers and workers and women were expected to provide husbands with a clean home, put food on the table, and to raise their children. Once married, women lost ownership of any wages, all of their physical property - excluding land property - and all other cash. Victorian wives became the literal legal property of their husbands, with husbands having rights to what their bodies produced - children, sex, and domestic labour. Divorce was taboo and divorced women lost custody of anything children whose father had legal custody over them. Formal education was rare for women in Victorian times and marriage, household and motherly duties were expected of women rather than obtaining an education. Add this to a focus upon etiquette and social taboos for women and the toxins in mourning garb and these times weren't one's today's women would wish to return to! Many garments used for mourning contained toxins like arsenic which would slowly seep into the body via the pores especially when perspiring, typically causing slow but painful deaths over some time. Arsenic functioned as an "escharotic", a substance that exerts a caustic effect on skin i.e. causing redness and peeling of the skin, skin ulcerations, nausea, colic and loose bowels, anaemia, pallor, & constant headaches and then organs began to fail. Arsenic was most common in green fabrics and eventually, after arsenic ceased being used in manufacturing of clothing, green clothes were still seen as unlucky as a result of this connection to deadly arsenic. Women in Victorian who were widowed were expected to spend two and a half years proceeding through three stages of mourning - deep mourning, full or second mourning, and half mourning - each with its own fashion requirements and restrictions on behaviour. Deep mourning lasted a year and a day and required a widow wear simple black dresses and a full-length black veil every time she left the house. This shroud was called a "weeping veil", made of a crimpled silk fabric called crape, and wearing it allowed one to "weep with propriety" as the women's magazine "M'me Demorest's Quarterly Mirror of Fashions" put it in 1862. Unfortunately the dyes and chemicals used to process the fabric meant the veils could also cause skin irritation, respiratory illness, blindness, and even death. Queen Victoria popularised formal mourning by choosing to wear it from her husband's passing until her own death 40 years later. The crape used in such garb, a matte silk gauze made from waste silk (cheap to produce then marked up), was lusterless, shed its dye in the rain and would stain the skin anytime the wearer would sweat. The veil was six feet long and made of two layers of black crape, fastened onto a bonnet placed at the back of the head. So, mourning garb literally weighed women down and the thick fabric made it hard to breath and see. Many plant dyes weren't toxic but some were and even if the dye wasn't toxic the mordant - a substance used to set the dye - like chromium was extremely toxic and could cause pulmonary irritation or disease. Aniline dyes were processed using arsenic and particles of chromium, arsenic, or other toxic substance would rise into the air when the stuff fabric's folds rubbed against each other, which then would enter the eyes and lungs. Thankfully agitation by women from the upper classes and the medical community made women generally more wary of mourning garb. And by the 1890s changes in fashion saw mourning conventions had shifted with fashion magazines and etiquette manuals urging readers to wear just a light net veil or stick with the crape veil but let it hang down one's back. Sales of mourning crape plummeted as did the deaths of women fabric makers, dyers, and women mourners.

[@iain9757]

Nothing more Christmassy than a Victorian Funeral, the Victorians did basically create modern Christmas as we know it

[@starlinguk]

They (Victoria) pinched it from the Germans.

[@helenchappell6502]

Arya1999 Victoria’s husband Albert was German and brought many German customs with him to England.

[@Defender78]

Should play the Charlie Brown Christmas theme

[@pinupgirl9160]

Iain 97 I find the Victorian Era extra interesting. Same with the Egyptians.

[@iain9757]

Pinupgirl probably the decades worth of primary schools teaching it to kids along with space and dinosaurs, all kids love them too at some point

[@cass_p]

I would love to see more on the parallel histories - what would death be like for different classes? Were there regional variables? What about religious ones? A deep dive into a fixed moment in time, spreading out sideways to examine all the cultural differences that moment contained - it makes my inner researcher salivate.

[@eugefederico1178]

Yes!!! This ❤

[@MonsterShibaBoi]

whats this?! another fur whos a deathling oh my gosh im not alone ;u;

[@yltraviole]

I would LOVE that! Almost every examination of day-to-day life in history is about the white, christian upper-to-middle class, and I'm always left wondering "What about the poor people? What about people of color? What about other religions? I know it's often a harder topic to research, but if anyone could do it, it's Caitlin

[@elleplaudite]

Then off to the library and the research! It's such a mighty wide topic with so much to cover, it could be a series lasting for decades! :D

[@MJMucha]

I second this idea! How could the poor cope? What about the death rituals of people of color, slaves, Native Americans, etc? I took a class centered around the Bubonic Plague and Cholera. What happens when so many people die at once or bodies are heavily diseased? What if only children remain? So many questions.... so many future video ideas!

[@lisaheisey6168]

On my mom's side of the family, the Italian side, even into the 1950's when someone died the body was still laid out in the parlor or living room. My maternal grandfather died in 1956 in the hospital. But, the coffin containing his body was set in the parlor, for I think, 3 days. The house's mirrors were covered for a long time, possibly the entire year of mourning. No jewelry was worn, by anyone in the house for that whole year, (aside from my grandmother's wedding ring) and all clothing worn was black even down to my grandmother's stockings. The house was filled with flowers, for the days my grandfather laid in his coffin. And, for the rest of my mom's life, she couldn't bear to have the scent of fresh flowers in our house, because of it. Someone once sent my mom a beautiful bouquet of roses. My mom was too polite to just throw them away. But, every day she'd ask me "Are they dead yet?", so she could throw them out and be rid of how they reminded her of having her dad's dead body in the house, for those 3 days when she was a kid.

[@maryc2501]

I remember when my great uncle passed away. Me and my mom went to Italy for the funeral, this was in the 80's and I remember they had him layed out on the bed. The nephews cleaned him and dressed him. I was really young my mom didn't want me to go in that room but I remember walking by, I could see his body I didn't see his face because the door was half closed. So I saw the body laying on the bed with his arms tied together and his legs were also tied together. People would come to the house to pay their respects, that's something that I will never forget.

[@idek7438]

My grandpa passed away here in Italy earlier this year. We do still have the body "on display" for a day or two after their death so people can pay their respects. We don't do that in private houses anymore tho but in funeral homes. The practice of wearing mourning clothes has almost completely disappeared though. My grandma (who is 80 years old) went back to wearing regular clothing right away after the funeral. Most of us younger relatives didn't even wear black clothing at the funeral.

[@clair8880]

Yes! My grandma told me some time ago that it was very common in 20th century italy to leave the body in the living room so that everybody could say their last goodbyes. She told me that once, a relative of hers passed away but she wasn’t allowed to stay in the living room and look at the body because she was pregnant. It was probably something to do with bad luck and superstition. That must have been around 1964 or so. It probably stopped being so common around the early 70s, I think

[@sarahnoia3495]

It was the same in rural Austria: dead bodies were laid out in the house (usually the living room) and that room was filled with flowers and decorated with black curtains. People stayed with the dead body and said prayers. People also came to pay their respects and pray for the dead. We still have the custom of mourning cards, which usually consist of a cover picture, a photo, a notice of death (when, at what age, why), a poem or quote and an expression of gratitude to the people who came to the funeral and helped the family through the rough times. Those cards are distributed at the funeral service.

[@MrSiBrum]

My friend died in the early 2000s & his mother had him in the lounge for 3 days. That was the first time I saw someone who had passed away, I was only 13.

[@grey6703]

I'm awfully sick and pokemourn made me laugh/cough so hard I think I lost a lung

[@erinathanassiou617]

I was having a drink of water when that popped up. I literally spat my drink at my computer screen rofl

[@colleenmahony8803]

My family (most Catholic families?) still has cards with pictures of various saints and a poem or prayer on the back, with the deceased's name and birth-death dates available at the funeral home. We have come to irreverently refer to them as "trading cards."

[@bonesandhearts5683]

I liked when she said they had to “remove the iPads”

[@rayeannkemp9518]

God bless you and get well quick. I spit out my cereal.

[@JordanS-ww4eu]

Me too

[@Bigotedechivo]

Last time I was this early Bentham's head was still fresh

[@intentionallyqueen.478]

Lol

[@CheshireCad]

ᴮᵉⁿᵗʰᵃᵃᵃᵃᵐ'ˢ ʰᵉᵃᵈ

[@danahuffman9539]

Yeah, no one gets my random Bentham’s head references *sigh*

And attached.

[@Charlotte66666]

😂

[@msviv3122]

You forgot to open the windows so the spirit could get out :o

[@theblackbaron4119]

Damm it, another spirit broke my glass again. What do you mean we're not insured for that?

[@Leelz247]

I wonder if that would have been typical for frigid New York though ;-).

[@BennyLlama39]

Huh! So *that's* why Marley always has a handkerchief around his head in A Christmas Carol.

[@shinylilfish]

Yup. And why his jaw gapes and Scrooge freaks out when he takes it off.

[@ericagoehring1089]

Yes! Exactly!

[@Geckobane]

Oh, wow.

[@spooky131]

I always wondered about that!!

[@lautimartinez6341]

lol i always thought that he had like a tooth ache or something like that

[@mortua_conjuga]

"agatha out" i'm gonna say this when i die, even if my name isn't agatha.

[@frightfang5235]

Can we all just take a moment to appreciate Molly’s acting skills? I thought she was a wax figure!

[@thekelleejean]

‘PokeMOURN’ ...I’m CRYING!! 🤣 I have been a person indescribably bad at dealing w death...bc of this channel I am truly on a road to much better ‘death positivity’ & am able to begin instilling that in my kiddo as well...THANK YOU Caitlin & Co.!! BTW: a pox on whoever wants to demolish that GORGEOUS MUSEUM!

[@ItsAsparageese]

Ooh how fitting, I've been saying we need you to team up with Meme Mom (Karolina Zebrowska) to team up for a collab! Maybe you can work with her on an Edwardian funeral or some other time period, or go into detail about burial garments! :D I just desperately want to see you two banter with each other in person or online haha

[@kaitc]

Or even historical Polish funerals

[@caseytofte8582]

That would be an amazing video!

[@averybell4273]

Why is she called Meme Mom?

[@5owlsinacoat]

@@averybell4273 I think because of her videos reenacting memes and vines (See Thug Edwardian Lady)

[@MariaMartinez-researcher]

And Mrs. Crocombe from English Heritage could prepare a proper funeral buffet.

[@KERYNN007]

I’ll take one shirt that says, “AGATHA OUT”, please.

[@helookalikaman79]

Me too!

[@Hofberaterfuchs]

Would take one as well 😂

[@ShannaRiley]

I don't know, Pokemourn was pretty good, too! lol

[@ChristineExpressions]

Yaaaaasssss!!!

[@SteveGouldinSpain]

Strange but true, I met my aunt Daisy when I was a toddler in the 1960's, a lady who was born in the 1870's and lived in a Victorian style house (wooden floorboards stained black) and wore Victorian style clothes (a black dress with a white lace pinafore) in a remote part of the west of England. She was nearly 100 years old when she passed away peacefully in her sleep, but the strange part was when they found her, her arms were already crossed on her chest as though she was prepared to meet her maker!!

[@ameliashephard2876]

It's called Lazarus movement.

[@Janellabelle]

These old timers are hardcore like that.

[@victoriansquirrel]

An aquaintance of mine told me that that they still cover the mirrors in the house when a family member dies. Also, an old tradition I‘m very fond of is putting fifty pence or something like that unter the dead person‘s hand so they can pay the ferryman transporting them into the realm of the dead. I did that with my grandmother.

[@viceb7]

I think the coin tradition stems from somewhere else or at least related to another, where they would lay coins on the eyes

[@lugash4]

@@viceb7 Yes a coin ( an Old Penny usually) would be placed on the eye lids to keep them closed....also The Ferry Man ( that takes the dead person from this World to the Next safely) needed to be paid so a coin would be put in the dead persons hand " A penny for the Ferryman"

[@AlydiaRackham]

It's Greek--money to pay the ferry man to take you over the River Styx in the underworld. The Romans continued that, and that's why you'll find that tradition all over Europe now.

[@Thepersianpopinjay]

I was so invested in the Victorian recreation that I was thrown for a loop when the Victorian parade is seen walking past a Crunch Gym. 😂

[@sheed3700]

Little Victorian girl: mom I'm hungry Victorian mother: ArSeNiC.

[@anjanunnenmacher344]

fun fact: some food contained arsenic for a food dye

[@IamtheNight99]

All chicken contains arsenic. Another reason to go vegan. www.watchdominion.com

[@anjanunnenmacher344]

@@IamtheNight99 no one cares or asked

[@IamtheNight99]

@@anjanunnenmacher344 Those who don't care are selfish and cruel. You SHOULD care. Even Caitlyn said she's vegetarian because she wants to help others. The world is fucked up because of people who don't care. Be someone who does care. www.watchdominion.com

[@kim-jong-un8096]

The Vegan Dragon yeah but you don’t see caitlyn pushing her beliefs on others. I suggest you chill out and let other people live their lives while you live yours.

[@jeyblueberry688]

fashion magazines in Victorian London be like "Hey Ladies! Here's the hot goth new looks to rock at your late husband's funeral"

[@haleighferland6577]

I read that as “latest husband” at first 😂😂

[@bnrody91]

Hi Caitlin! I am a trans man in DC. A chosen family member recently passed and it has been hard on us because our trans family offered to help pay for the funeral but the family blocked us from attending the funeral. In addition to that, Angel was not buried as Angel. They cut her hair and put her in a suit and buried her as a man. I was wondering if you could do a video on living wills and transgender deaths? Ive been a longtime fan. Thank you for everything you do!

[@diy_nailsby_heidi_r3889]

The best thing to do is to have someone appointed as the legal power of attorney/executor along with a living will that outlines the deceased's wishes, ahead of time. Pre-planning and prepaying would be greatly helpful as well. Families are often **not** the best to follow the wishes of a loved one who didn't live as their genetic gender classification. Having these things prepared ahead of time is the best way to ensure the greatest likelihood of the deceased's wishes being followed. I would, however, seriously think about not making the "occasion" a reason for SJW-like activities, etc., if only to allow the family a modicum of, perhaps, more "traditional" observances for the dead. It's a fine line to walk, I admit.

[@josephineward6645]

hey, you've probably already found it, but if you haven't here's a link to the video where she talks about advance directives, there is also talk of why they are so important for clarity in regards to people stuck in a vegetative state, and the rights of people in the LGBT+ community, particularly gay and transgender people kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4DEZ2yLhq6qocU hope this was what you were after

[@HouseJug]

bnrody91 this is so awful I’m really sorry for your loss and how it was handled. Rest in power Angel!

[@Ali-mv3jc]

She must have heard you, she just made one today.

[@crowskinned]

She did the video! I hope you saw it. It's important information for us trans folks - I'm so sorry to hear about Angel.

[@davidace5864]

The funeral card collection is still a thing, when my grandmother died we found about 40 in a book she kept, we added hers afterwards

[@celticecho]

That house is stunning!!!!! The goth in me would love to live there!

[@andrewbrendan1579]

If you like the Merchant House you might also enjoy the 1949 movie "The Heiress" starring Olivia de Havilland and Montgomery Clift. It takes place in and around a similar New York house of the same era. The details of clothing, hairstyles and interiors is excellent. The movie is based on the Henry James novel "Washington Square" and there has been speculation that the novel was inspired by a woman who lived for many years in the Merchant House. Apparently the similarities between the real and fictional women are a coincidence but I highly recommend the movie: I liked it better than the book it's based upon!

[@ladymopar2024]

Same 🖤

[@celticecho]

Andrew Brendan - I’ll check it out, thanks for the recommendation!

[@oblivious_prime]

Same

[@marleybu7984]

Me too. I love Victorian Houses and stuff. I have no idea where my fascination for it came from.

[@erincarr9411]

Oh man those victorians and their love of arsenic.

[@ragnkja]

Arsenic is generally considered incompatible with wool and silk, but I suppose not when you *want* a matt black colour.

[@erincarr9411]

@@ragnkja I guess they also dyed for and clothing green with it.

[@ragnkja]

Erin Carr Wool and silk cannot be dyed green with cuproarsenic (which also isn’t a dye, but a pigment), because it becomes blotchy and black-stained.

[@erincarr9411]

@@ragnkja what about cotton?

[@ragnkja]

Erin Carr Cotton is plant-based, so it can be coloured with arsenic, although why you’d want that now that we have synthetic dyes I have no idea. Come to think of it, they had synthetic dyes in 1880 as well.

[@TheQueerTailor]

I didn’t realize that covering mirrors was a Victorian thing too! Many Jewish families still cover mirrors during a shiva for the tradition of it, and for both the reasons mentioned in the video.

[@anphuongnguyen1011]

We have that tradition in Vietnam too!

[@UtLured]

in Russia also

[@readingwithfrenchy]

In Celtic it's so they dont become trapped in the mirror and haunt the family and home. Theres also come cultures about leaving windows open so the spirit can leave and not be trapped in the house.

[@quentinbarrentine5114]

Also a Southern tradition in the U.S. Especially in the Delta region. (Remember Ruth's death scene in "Fried Green Tomatoes," when Sipsey covers the mirrors and the portraits and stops the clock?)

[@readingwithfrenchy]

@@quentinbarrentine5114 big european tradition. Especially northern. Many still do it. One of my fave movies too. And fried tomatoes are amazing.

[@viviandamorblok]

My parents also covered the mirrors after my grandma had passed away earlier this year. It's still quite common practice in Russia.

[@lugash4]

Also when a person dies in a building (hospital, care home or at their home) you should open a window to allow their Spirit to be set free

[@viviandamorblok]

@@lugash4 never heard about this practice before, curious

[@viviandamorblok]

also I've completely forgotten about my comment and the whole video above looks like it's my most liked reply so far lmao русская смерть attracts people I guess

[@iainclark8695]

"Here's a picture of my dead niece. It was such a beautiful service. I put a sepia filter on it so she looks like she's dead in the old west."

[@foxfyre9908]

The dark mother has posted so here I am

[@avengingkitty]

She calls and we come.

[@theblackbaron4119]

D: does that mean that we're all listeners to the night mother? Hail Sithis!

[@AuntDeeDee970]

Dark Mother! I love it. Yass honey Dark Mother has arrived!

[@theblackbaron4119]

"But I'm not dead yet" "Molly, you'll be in a second" But I feel fine, I think I'm getting better."

That's just gasses escaping the body.

[@thejudgmentalcat]

"Could you help me out?" *looks around* BONK! "Thanks. See you next Thursday "

[@renpixie]

The Black Baron “You’re not foolin anyone”😆

[@napatora]

i feel at ease!

[@k.m.223]

I could go for a walk!

[@ashleywyatt9647]

"Agatha out!" 🤣 I want that on my tombstone!

[@susanbissell6319]

Why are people saying "Agatha out"? What does it mean?

[@jammiiing]

@@susanbissell6319 it’s in the video at 2:00

[@jonster337able]

I've never had an interest in corpses, funerals or morticians. Never thought I'd be totally hooked on a channel like this! To be perfectly honest, if anybody else were presenting this information I seriously doubt I would have any interest. You certainly have an uncanny knack for telling stories and only the way you tell them is what keeps my interest!

[@KatherineSundgren]

From the nerdy history major: Yesss, all the interesting old death and mourning practices! I absolutely love your channel and all your videos! They're always super interesting (and I've been tempted so many times to change my master's thesis because your videos are so fascinating).

[@ChennaJCook]

I am in the exact same boat as you, fellow deathling!

[@Orelaf84]

When my mom died last year, I made a braid and clipped it and saved it in a small box of Estonian wood. I also took several photos and videos of her Lazarus movements and face with mine. I also have a locket of her ashes that I often wear when traveling or doing something special. It has helped my grief process a lot, and now I understand why it was so common back then. I wish that I had space and money to arrange these items for my own death; a casket, burial space, and garments to wear. I think that would help my grief a lot too.

[@FancyChronicles]

Sorry for you loss, and that is really nice of you.

[@kaylenewinter248]

You can buy caskets that are used as shelving while you are alive then it's just rearranged when you pass away

[@ghoulsandroses6882]

This is totally off topic but that dress looks absolutely stunning on you! Great video too, I love all things to do with the Victorian era 😁

[@keineahnung6124]

Or she looks stunning in that dress and without make-up

[@chrisminer4512]

I was thinking the same thing. Not that she dosent look stunning all the time.

[@tterbay]

I’m glad you both said something. I didn’t want to be inappropriate at a time like this.

[@michellemelville8979]

I think the Victorian era dresses could suit most body shapes due to the "forming" undergarments. I love the look personally and have enjoyed the time I've worn a full length corset. At the time I was recovering from a back injury and for the 20 minutes i was in it i actually had no pain at all. I only wished i could have afforded one rather than the underbust i bought.

[@ShannonK3884]

I kept thinking of Panic at the Discos song. "Mona Lisa" while you were explaining everything.... Its fascinating to hear what we used to do back then compared to now a days!!!

[@applejoos1255]

Shannon Knowlton aaa me too

[@Katie-cw1hs]

Alas, there was no net shooter at the end 🖤

[@isabellescales3763]

Mary did it!

[@dianeaishamonday9125]

Me too!

[@Ella-vl8vn]

Thought I was the only one!

[@adriennenolan9520]

I'd be really interested in seeing you make a video about the radium girls.

[@ChristineExpressions]

Watching those women walk the sidewalk in their mourning attire made my day.

[@RamdomRando]

This is extremely similar to how funerals are done in mexico today, i live in a town in which when someone dies you call the bell ringer od the parish and he will ring a specific bell tone to announce someone in town has died, and then everything else in the video happens.

[@chrispza]

The Denisse In rural England, the mourning toll included the number of years the subject lived. You can imagine the bellringer for a centenarian wiping his brow: "Gawd; glad _that's_ done!"

[@autumnmusic22]

I think this mainly happens in small villages/towns in Mexico? But they all have different ways of dealing with death, didn't know some places still did that!

[@LAVirgo67]

Sadly, in the cities funeral homes are becoming very popular, especially for those with money. One of my aunts recently passed & she wanted a home funeral. My cousins were a bit put off by the notion, but it was honored. She had her custom coffin all ready in a storage room for when the need arose.

[@RamdomRando]

@@LAVirgo67 some people are uncomfortable hosting a funeral at their home because our society can be a little death phobic

[@RamdomRando]

@Lee Baldwin jamay, its in the state of jalisco

[@KingofHearts]

I can’t be the only person who imagined “iPad” when kaitlyn says “eye pads” at 7:08.

[@tibb75]

Came down here looking for this

[@kauaijohn]

Yep! Got me, too.

[@sheshosha]

Caitlin**

[@julienielsen3746]

I did.

[@FaeQueenCory]

"Agatha out!" as last words is 8/8.

[@andialternative]

I agree with everyone else that this needs to become a series about different funerals!

[@steppy3736]

When my grandmother died in 1980, my grandfather covered the mirrors, stopped her cuckoo clock, and put the TV in the closet. My mother told me that's how it was done in the old country.

[@bellacapulet1933]

How odd in my house we still cover the mirrors after a death

[@lestatangel]

Bella Capulet - Yessssss!

[@austinator0817]

That's my neighborhood! You passed by the graveyard that I live behind during the procession (I call the inturned my quiet neighbors). It would be interesting to do a video about the history/current state of NYC's graveyards.

[@kairyss4285]

Died from the hiccups... a real killer back then.

[@theblackbaron4119]

Or hysteria

[@harveyabel1354]

@@theblackbaron4119 Or from wearing crinoline (it did cause many a death).

[@elleplaudite]

Harvey Abel Well mostly in combination with fire - and no longer in 1880s, crinolines were out, bustles were in.

[@harveyabel1354]

@@elleplaudite Yep!

[@Imiss70sTV]

I really love this channel. I find it so interesting how culture tries to dictate how we should act "at the end", both then and now. Having been through this with family members a few times now, I have found out I'm more of the "when you're gone, you're gone" type. I made my mother's pre arrangements today and during the consultation mentioned your channel. My planner's eyes lit up, she jumped up and dashed around the table to HUG me! She absolutely loves your channel too! That one moment made it so much easier, knowing a fellow Deathling had my back. Thank you for being here, Caitlin :)

[@twomblypublishing]

danse macabre by Saint-Saens...at the end...one of my favorite pieces.... really evokes a "spirit" ;)

[@destiny035]

In the Netherlands we have De Efteling (closer than Disneyland :)) and this song is used in the haunted house... well lets say its a scene on a monestary graveyard with dancing tombstones, skeletons, ghosts and ghouls :) I'd say it's fitting. www.efteling.com/en/park/attractions/spookslot

[@divalea]

Dadgum, so much superstition and etiquette! Edit: and ARSENIC most of all!

[@barrywerdell2614]

Thank you Caitlin for answering a question that's been plaguing me. When ever they show Jacob Marley's ghost in "A Christmas Carol" he usually has a rag tied around his head, now I know why. Thank You, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Death Day.

[@harveyabel1354]

But if you read the story (and in some movies), the rag is removed and his jaw drops wiiiide open.

[@user-hb7rd9wu2n]

Harvey Abel the theatre in my city does this bit each year and it always spooks me

[@ciel9112]

Just what I needed. I'm sick and very sad but this just made me very excited because the Death Mother has blessed us with another video

[@RisWish]

The "death cards" are still a thing here in Germany. They're very similar to the Victorian ones, usually containing a photo, DOB, DOD, a bible verse/poem/quote and something like "beloved father and husband". Nobody is expected to collect them though. I've seen family businesses tape them to their windows when someone in the family died to explain why they're closed for a few days.

[@jeffbaloga4376]

Very interesting. Would like to see how other cultures bury their deceased.

[@Dsdcain]

Interesting you mention last words. Being an amature history nut I've noticed how many times kings who died in battle uttered the last words "I am killed" seems kind of fishy to me and a bit redundant to say the least. I love what you do and what you write. Thank you.

[@harveyabel1354]

You were thinking more like, "dang, that hurts!"?

[@ashleyw7868]

I’ve always wondered how people in the past always had such elegant last words. My last words to my husband when I was put out for surgery where “I know where you...sleep.” My husband was in the OR bc he was my surgeons PA, and he’d been threatening to draw a penis on my leg. I was threatening his life if I woke up and found any penis art on my body, and was reminding him I knew where he slept and was most vulnerable to retaliation. The funny thing was that I appeared to be out and they where about to place the ventilation tube when I finally got the word ‘sleep’ out rather loudly. Apparently, everyone stopped and freaked out at how serious I had been to fight the meds just to make my threat clear! I imagine my last words will be something along the lines of “Don’t forget to feed the... dogs!” and not sage advice or announcing my demise.

[@Dsdcain]

@@ashleyw7868 I like that. :) Thanks for the smile you gave me. *:-)*

[@ashleyw7868]

@Dsdcain I’m glad it could make someone laugh! My husband had major back surgery about 3 months after my knee surgery and the scrub tech and nurse decided to sign their names and draw a penis on his back without me ever having to mention to them that he threatened draw one on me. It’s a blessing and a curse to know everyone doing your surgery bc they are always super attentive but also much more likely to prank you.

[@JimAllen-Persona]

“Stop inside for a sweet deal” on death😂

[@HelgatheHorriblez]

I grew up in a Victorian in Boston and my grandfather was an undertaker. He used to tell stories of embalming and winter storage. He’s been gone a long time now, but he was so interesting.

[@mirunapopescu]

That moment when you can see the corpse breathing ever so faintly

[@camerrill]

I saw it

[@SahajSoldier]

"I can't believe that Bryce prefers Van Patton's mourning card to mine."

[@realhumanpersonnotafrog2241]

SERIES: HOW THEY HANDLED A FUNERAL IN ....-YEAR

[@samkupper]

Hey, have a great day! That goes for anyone who reads this.

[@ashlee2970]

Caitlyn!!! Thank you so much for featuring this museum in your video!! I live in NYC and I didn't even know it existed. I plan on going while on my break from school and I'm so excited

[@akio_kuro]

Anyone else remembering the music video for "Mona Lisa" by Panic! At The Disco

[@otakuribo]

funeral procession: storefront ads: *STEP INSIDE FOR A SWEET DEAL*

[@dennismitchell5414]

The Victorian Era is my favorite , Could you maybe do a video on the various stages of dress during the mourning period for women and possibly the men too ?. I hope you can do more of these types of videos. Keep up the great work Caitlin !!

[@thebookwyrmslair6757]

THAT would be an excellent collab with Bernadette Banner!!

[@aurafluff]

Iirc I think the stages were black for at least a year, then they could wear grey, then lavender I think?

[@dennismitchell5414]

@@aurafluff That sounds about right , Thanks !

[@Syntox]

I did a night time tour of the Merchant's House and let me tell you how creepy as all hell it is

[@viceb7]

What part? It didn't seem all that creepy

[@ibasicallyamameme6416]

IM SICK AND THE DEATH QUEEN UPLOADED YES THIS IS PERFECT (also I am one of the death teens, yes we bring up random things we learn from your videos in class, and we in fact exist.)

[@theblackbaron4119]

You're not sick, you're going to be dead any second.

[@ibasicallyamameme6416]

The Black Baron y’all make sure I don’t get embalmed

[@theblackbaron4119]

@@ibasicallyamameme6416 why not? Every necrophile's dream is a well preserved snuggle companion :3

[@NEENEEx5]

It might be even weirder to be 62 and bringing up info from the videos at social gatherings😂. Yep...that’s me🙄

[@ibasicallyamameme6416]

Sherry Vogel I wish I had someone to talk about death with at gatherings to be honest 😂

[@creatrixcorvusarts876]

This was really great to watch! Death customs through the ages is a great idea for a series....

[@laurajarrell6187]

Caitlin, Wow this was good. Ok, I thought Molly was a mannequin! That she held so still, brava! ♥️👏💝☮️🎃

[@Wenchanchan]

D: OMG!!! That´s why Lilies are so popular in funerals? for their strong odor?

[@llwisher93]

Yes it is suppose to mask the smell of death

[@Kaitlyn94Marie]

Yes, that‘s why flowers became a thing at funerals, to mask the smell of the dead body.

[@darlenecheatham7775]

In the south it was mostly gardenias

[@r.coffman1431]

Since my Mother passed, I nor my Daughter can be around Lilies.

[@fflubadubb]

Gladiolus have that funeral smell

[@kattwhitmeyer7591]

I died at “gotta catch em all” 🤣🤣🤣

[@hypno_bunny]

"Pokémourn!"

[@ashleighangle7329]

I wanna be like you when I grow up!

[@marleybu7984]

Love this video. I want a horse drawn hearse when I go. Don't care if ye wrap me in a sheet & bung me in the woods, just let me hae my black horses. Love them 😂

[@nancyaustin9516]

I want to know about the image of the cat pulling the tiny hearse at 2:45!! The interwebs love cats...

[@bigk8210]

I saw this notification and my first thought was "I bet Caitlin would look AWESOME in one of those black Victorian head-to-toe mourning dresses!" 😍

[@anfearaerach]

The funeral card is called a "zantjen" in a region in Flanders. We still do that here.

[@Benson_aka_devils_advocate_88]

Did anyone else giggle when the ladies eyes popped open? I have such a dark sense of humor...

[@franloiacono9306]

"Agatha, OUT!" had me SCREAMING

[@Tatiana_Palii]

I recently found a newspaper death notice of ny distant relative from 1884 Russia. She became a widow aged about 25-26, took over her husband's buisness (he was an iron merchant), successfully ran it for about 30 years and never remarried. They had a son, but he either died young or chose some other profession. This lady died aged 55 of consumption in a summer house that she rented in Tsarskoye Selo (a town near St Petersburg that was always associated with the imperial family and court). Her nieces placed the death notice in the most popular daily newspaper, informing friends and family about the church service in Tsarskoye Selo, funeral in St Petersburg and the wake. I checked with a 1881 Russian etiquette manual and turns out they did everything very properly according to their social status. It was considered younger female family members (daughters, granddaughters or nieces of the deceased) duty to organise everything and to inform everyone, and having a traditional wake in a banquet hall, as they did, was a bit looked down upon in high society, but for merchant familes it was considered quite a proper thing to do even by the authors of that etiquette book. I also looked through the burial records from the cemetery itself, and found out that when that lady's husband died back in 1855, she bought two burial plots (and they were a bit on the expensive side) at once, so she was sort of well-prepared. And as far as I know, most of the mourning traditions in Russia at the time were similar to those shown in the video, especially covering the mirrors is still practised today.

[@clray123]

Oh no, not our beloved Molly! It must have been expensive to kill a whole old lady to film this video. And to the lady who was chewing gum during the funeral procession, that's not proper etiquette! Unless the gum contained arsenic, of course.

[@intentionallyqueen.478]

Good morning our Queen of Death! 👑

[@Dobbyjuliet]

I’m so freaking happy! And our death mother is almost to 1 million!

[@wrenchbender01]

I’ve been to a funeral similar to this. My relatives living in Mexico were still doing funerals in this fashion, in the 1990s. The young lady that passed away was being preserved on a sheet of roofing tin placed at a slight angle. This was to allow water run off from the melting ice to drain at the feet in to a tub.

[@mchampionortega]

Same here my great grandmother passed away in 1993 and they had the wake at her house in Juarez with the body in the living room. The big difference was that the coffin had a piece of glass covering her and it was done the same day she died and we had her mass and burial the next day because we didn't embalm. My mother and aunt were the ones who washed and dressed her.

[@flquirk9150]

I volunteered at Living History Farms in Urbandale for several seasons as a historical interpreter. Each year, we reenact a Victorian Funeral. Ours is very similar to yours. However, we are lucky enough to have a glass enclosed hearse and black Percheron horses to pull it. We serve a light luncheon afterwards for the reenactors. There are also reenactments of weddings, baseball games, and a 4th of July celebration as they happened in 1875. Daily life on 3 different farms as well as the 1875 town life are recreated on a daily basis.

[@avrillina98]

The victorian steps reminded me of "The Ballad of Mona Lisa" Music Video by Panic! At The Disco. ICONIC

[@christopherrasmussen8718]

When I was a kid we lived about an hour south of NY,NY. A few doors down was a huge Victorian mansion, with 5 stories. It had been a funeral home. It had a large garage. In the garage were 2 horse drawn hearses . We played in an and around that house and on the hearses. The place was torn down in the late 60s , hearses and all.

[@harveyabel1354]

Do you mean "hearse"?

[@michellemelville8979]

What a loss of history.

[@divalea]

I’m here before your recreation is up for a minute! Being sleepless pays off!

[@thekelleejean]

Lea Seidman insomniacs unite to devour new Death Mother content! 🥳

[@sharonjacobs5351]

Just an f.y.i. . . They also used coins to weight down a dead ones eye lids 😲 . . . Calling cards for the deceased could also be trimmed in purple which was acceptable . . ( I have several) The legnth of mourning was lengthy at one time . It was expected that if you lost a spouse or child you'd be in mourning for 7 years . (Different legnths of time depending on who the relative was . The more distant , say a grandparent , or aunt etc would be much shorter than if the deceased was a spouse or child . Rules for behavior of a person were long and strict ! No going to say church functions like a Sunday school play or church social . A woman in mourning was expected to have an escort whenever she left the house . Some of these "rules" were relaxed during and after the civil war . After all a widower left with children to care for , was impractical to not be married so to provide proper nurturing , and let's be honest , a built in babysitter for a man's children , was impossible . More likely if you had several generations living in one household As populations started moving out into the Midwest etc . Multi-generational households were getting fewer all he time ). The same goes for women . To be a widow and not have a "provider" again was impractical . The legnth of time was drastically shortened for the above reasons . Quite complex by today's standards where a wide variety of choices are available to the family or future decedent to choose from with no worry as to what is proper . Pretty interesting stuff right ? Great job on the video as always . From a victorian historian . . 🌹

[@janebeatty9472]

“Agatha out!!”....😂😂😂

[@slugluv1313]

WELCOME TO NYC!!! wonderful, fascinating video (& looking forward to learning more about death photos!) and THANK-YOU SO MUCH for sharing the Merchant's House Museum with everyone -- so much of "old" New York is gone, losing this amazing piece of history would be criminal

[@fatinnursabrinamohdhelmi785]

I really wanna see the recreations of middle ages and stone age funeral

[@elizabethpeters9875]

Fascinating! I've been invited to tour a crematorium and see the whole process in the New Year! I can't wait to see it! Yep, I'm a ghoul! I'll be telling them about you Caitlin and how you helped my fascination with death and all things deathly grow! Lots of love from Liz in the UK xxx 💜🇬🇧

[@lautimartinez6341]

The body was embalmed with arsenic and the veils were chemically treated with arsenic, the flowers were dipped in arsenic and all food and water in the house had arsenic too, for flavouring of course, and after the funeral all the participants had to take a swig of arsenic from their handy arsenic hip flask for ceremonial purposes. Once the funeral is over, everyone goes back home to finalize their mourning by taking their daily arsenic baths and going to sleep in their arsenic drenched beds Gotta love the good 1880's lifestyle

[@Rogue3269]

Dearest Caitlin, I am old enough to be your father, so this comment is completely benign of any sexual reference; it is more how I see my own daughter. You are simply beautiful. Your beauty is so deep that it starts at the exterior and pierces your soul, as is evident in your charm, humor and insight that lifts and brightens the days and lives of those who share in the delight that is you. God bless you and thank you for educating the masses and making this old guy laugh with you, and at death itself.