Victorian Mourning: Fashions, Fads, Perceptions and Realities

Victorian Mourning: Fashions, Fads, Perceptions and Realities

While conducting research on the 1865 funeral of wealthy Manhattan merchant Seabury Tredwell, garment historian Christine Evans began to notice a difference between the mourning clothing worn at the funeral, and the clothing used afterwards for extended formal mourning. In this month’s speaker presentation we will take a look beyond the etiquette books at diaries, family spending for funerals, advertisements for funeral wear as well as living subjects in postmortem photographs. This will allow us to examine the differences found between the grave side and the fashion expectations of mid nineteenth-century mourning. The end result being a more accurate image of the traditions and fashions used to commemorate the passing of a loved one.

Admission is FREE.

Please arrive early or on time SEATING IS LIMITED.