Mourning Fashion c.1870-1901

Part 2 of this webinar deals with the rise of the miniature portrait, from cost to the talented painters. Their depictions of wealthy individuals held hidden messages of love between couples in both life and death.

Mourning Jewels: How They Were Worn, Part 1

Full-length portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-87), standing in mourning costume, with the Royal Arms of Scotland behind; she holds a crucifix in her right hand, a prayer-book in her left, and wears a cross and rosary; behind her are her two ladies; left a scene of her execution

A question as simple as ‘how was a jewel worn?’ leads to the most complex of answers. The narrative of mourning and sentimental jewellery in the modern age is intrinsically interwoven with the growth of industry and newfound access to wealth , along with the emergence of newly-mobile social class. Fashion is rarely, if ever, adopted arbitrarily. The purpose… Continue reading Mourning Jewels: How They Were Worn, Part 1

A  Guide to the Stages of Mourning

Richard Redgrave, 1846, "Throwing Off Her Weed"

Grief is automatically triggered by loss as part of our psychological construction. Mourning, in its most pure form, is a period of transition for a loved one to understand the loss and accept the memory of a person. Stages of mourning in fashion and identity are generally separated into ‘deepest mourning’, ‘second’ / ‘ordinary’ stages… Continue reading A  Guide to the Stages of Mourning

Children in Mourning

The Tolling Bell

A child in mourning is the ultimate symbol of family grief. The child is what carries forward a memory and validates the parent’s existence, so it is with great grief that the loss of a child could be worn as a jewel or in fashion. In the reverse of this, a child in mourning for… Continue reading Children in Mourning