FREE ESSAY ON MOURNING COSTUMES IN THE 19TH CENTURY

MOURNING COSTUMES IN THE 19TH CENTURY

Mourning Costume in the 19th Century
The costume associated with mourning is vastly different in different cultures, but the
meaning of mourning dress is relatively similar worldwide: to express respect for the
dead, and to keep one's own appearance from distracting from the ceremonies surrounding
death. In most of the western world, the color that dominates most mourners' wardrobes is
black, while the style and cut of mourning clothes is relatively unaffected by their
purpose. Especially in the 19th century, ceremonial dress retained its complexity and
stylishness whether it was made of colorful prints or solids, for church wear, or the
somber black of the grave-side. Women's mourning clothes in particular bore little
dissimilarity to their other modest formalwear, apart from the required black hue and a
predominance of veils.
Among the lower classes, who could not afford to make an entirely new dress for use at
only one occasion, it was customary to dye one's best dress or waistcoat black,
particularly if the deceased was a close relative (Masson and Reveley, 1988). In large,
well-to-do families, it was often the case that the servants were given mourning clothes,
hats, and veils, which were used throughout the lengthy period of high mourning, lasting
from one to twelve months. During that time, the widow was expected to adhere to a
stringent set of rules governing what she could wear, and when she was permitted to
gradually ease back into normal clothing. These rules were very specific concerning
jewelry and cloth; the only things a widow in late 19th century Paris was supposed to
wear for the first four and a half months after her husband's death were black wool
dresses, a hood and veil, black linen gloves and a bronze belt-buckle, if necessary
(Perrot, 1990). A wealthy widow was expected to purchase an entirely new wardrobe
constructed mostly out of black wool and crepe, heavy fabrics that added their depressing
weight to the effect of the already somber hue. Mourning fashions were chronicled in
Harper's Bazaar, with the sense that the dictates of fashion should override one's true
feelings about the deceased as well as concern for one's own health:
A deep veil is worn at the back of the bonnet, but not over the head or face like the
widow's veil, which covers the entire person when down. This fashion is very much
objected to by doctors, who think many diseases of the eye come by this means, and advise
for common use thin nuns' veiling instead of crape, which sheds its pernicious dye into
the sensitive nostrils, producing catarrhal disease as well as blindness and cataract of
the eye. It is a thousand pities that fashion dictates the crape veil, but so it is. It
is the very banner of woe, and no one has the courage to go without it. We can only
suggest to mourners wearing it that they should pin a small veil of black tulle over the
eyes and nose, and throw back the heavy crape as often as possible, for health's sake.
(Harper's Bazaar, 1886, emphasis added)
The origin of the increase in the popularity of mourning in the 19th century stem from
two sources: the romanticism surrounding death in the literature of the period, and Queen
Victoria's forty-year mourning for her late husband, Prince Albert (Chicago Historical
Society, 1998). Gothic novels like Wuthering Heights and the works of Edgar Allen Poe
harped on death's sentimental aspect, and the importance of the status quo made the loss
of a member of society much more shocking and traumatic than today. Queen Victoria's
mourning, which began in 1861, set a precedent for British and American widows, and
associated mourning with virtue and piety, which had again become popular under her
reign. The American Civil War, which followed hard upon Prince Albert's death, was the
occasion for many women to put these principles and trends into practice.
The veil is, after the traditional black color, perhaps the most recognizable habit of
mourning in the 19th century. The widow's veil was completely opaque to observers, and as
in the above quote, covers the body from head to foot. As such, it is reminiscent of the
traditional Muslim hijab, which in its most extreme form covers the entire body with the
exception of a lace patch covering the eyes (Boucher, 1987). The purpose of the hijab is
to shield men from the distraction of women's beauty. The 19th-century female mourner's
veil served a similar, if less insidiously misogynistic purpose: to shield the world from
the mourner's pitiable sorrow. It hid the mourner's true face in order to spare her the
embarrasment of public tears, and to make it easier for her to encounter other people
without being obliged to smile or put on a "social face." The presence of the veil in
female costumes for mourning as well as weddings suggests that the veil creates a sacred,
contemplative space in which a woman may exist during a very emotional period of her
life. It is also a substitute for male protection - the bride appears veiled in public
until she has become the legal ward of her husband, and the widow appears veiled in
public because she has ceased to have the immediate physical protection of a husband.
This psycho-social aspect certainly was not explicit in the Victorian use of the veil in
either ceremony, but the practice of covering the face in any circumstance has a profound
psychological effect on both the subject and the observer.
The color of the mourner's robes, whether male or female, is similar in the Western
hemisphere throughout the 19th century, as well as in preceding and following centuries.
Black, the color of funerals, is associated in Western culture with death, decay, and the
unknown. This is not universally true: in northern Africa the traditional funerary color
is white, and in most of China it is yellow (Boucher, 1987). From a western perspective,
these colors - white and yellow - seem singularly unsuitable for mourner's garb, since we
tend to associate them with innocence and sunlight. But it is important to remember that
cultural associations with colors are not full characterizations of the colors
themselves; white could just as easily be associated with bones, and yellow with jaundice
or other illness. The coupling of black coloring with dull, uncomfortable textiles such
as wool, crepe, and gabardine, creates an immediate environment for the mourner that is
one of bodily denial. The long funeral ceremonies of the 19th century necessitated
patience with itchy, overinsulating clothes. The long periods of mourning required the
immediate family of the deceased to wear clothes that detracted from their individuality
or attractiveness, and which inspired only sadness in those they encountered socially
(Harper's Bazar, 1886). This denial of individual comfort in pursuit of piety is one of
the most salient features of any culture dominated by Christianity, although it usually
occurs ceremonially, as the exception and not the rule. 
In conclusion, the mourning practices of the 19th century were inextricably bound to the
clothing associated with mourning. Being widowed was an expensive process, which in the
middle and upper classes required the purchase of an entirely new wardrobe made along
extremely specific guidelines that prohibited certain fabrics and adornments until a
certain period of time had elapsed. The occurence of many wars and revolutions during the
19th century, which precipitated the deaths of many men and women, may have contributed
to the codification of mourning. Certainly the mourning practiced by Queen Victoria after
1861 influenced the upper and middle classes of Britain and America. Overall, the style
and cut of the clothing did not change in the most general sense, which, in an era when
popular fashion was beginning to take a particularly strong hold, is not terribly
surprising. However, the subtle changes in the dress of mourners reflect moral and
societal changes, and may indicate cultural themes like the 'meaning' of black garments.
Bibliography
Bibliography
Boucher, Francois Leon Louis. 20,000 Years of Fashion: The History of Costume and
Personal Adornment. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1987.
Chicago Historical Society. Just the Arti-Facts.
http://www.chicagohs.org/AOTM/apr00/apr00fact3.html
CHS, 1998.
Harper's Bazar: "Mourning and Funeral Usages." April 17, 1886. (Author unlisted)
Masson, Ann, and Bryce Reveley: "When Life's Brief Sun was Set: Portraits of Southern
Women in Mourning, 1830-1860." Southern Quarterly, v27 n1, pp32-56.
Perrot, Marie, ed. A History of Private Life, vol. 3: From the Age of Revolutions to the
Great War. Cambridge, MA: Bellknap/Harvard University Press, 1990.