Posted on 05/13/2019 4:19:44 PM PDT by NRx
BEFORE THE FUNERAL:
The manner of caring for the dead is growing gradually into a closer imitation of life, and we see the dear ones now lying in that peaceful repose which gives hope to those who view them. No longer does the gruesome and chilling shroud enwrap the form. The garments worn in life have taken its place, and men and women are dressed as in life. It gives a feeling of comfort to see them thus, for it imparts a natural look which could never accompany the shroud. Flowers are strewn about the placid face, and one cannot but remember those grand lines from Bryant:
"He wraps the drapery of his couch about him, And lies down to pleasant dreams."
WATCHING THE DEAD:
It is no longer the custom to watch the dead — an excellent omission, for many of those vigils were unseemly in their mirth. Some friend or relative sits up in order to give the dead any attention necessary. The preparation of the deceased is always attended to by some kindly friends who are not members of the family, and that agonizing duty is spared the afflicted ones. It is more thoughtful for someone to volunteer to remain with the family, through the long sad night hours. It makes the grief and loneliness of the house less oppressive.
CRAPE ON THE DOOR:
"Ring the bell softly, There's crape on the door."
Black crape tied with white ribbon is placed upon the door or bell knob, as an indication that the dread visitor has entered the home, and borne away another prize. This should deter the caller from ringing, if it is possible to bring the attendant to the door without doing so. No one knows save those who have passed through a sorrow, how the clang of a bell, with its noisy reminder of active life, jars upon the nerves. In many houses, the hall door is left ajar, that friends may enter quietly. The kindly instincts of the heart tell them to speak softly, and be helpful and sympathetic. White crape looped with white ribbon is appropriate for a child or young person. For the aged, black crape and black ribbon are used.
[Read the rest at the linked website.]
Thanks for this... Mostly a History enthusiast and partially morbid. :)
I took a death/dying class in college and they covered this time period in depth. Incredibly interesting.
I took a Philosophy of Death course that was pretty good, too. The big take away was the proper attitude towards one’s own death. And that’s being grateful, given the odds against any one of us being here in the first place.
Once had a funeral directors license. Part of the curriculum was a study of death, grief, and societal funeral practices. Interesting, although I was the last person to ever let a body down.
An old man who is lying in his upstairs death bed calls his son over to him.
“Moishe, am I smelling some of your momma’s wonderful fresh baked cookies?”
“Yes, papa, she’s in the kitchen taking them out of the oven.”
“Oy, go down stairs and tell momma to send up a cookie.”
“Yes, papa,” and the boy goes downstairs. He returns a moment later with no cookies.
“Moishe, why do you not have for me one of momma’s wonderful cookies?”
“Momma said the cookies are for AFTER the funeral.”
—————Myron Cohen
Interesting. Thanks for posting.
Queen Victoria made mourning and widowhood "trendy". She introduced the wearing of jet bead jewelry, the color mauve was invented as a clothing dye during her reign, and was often worn the second year of widowhood ( though not by her ) of mourning, instead of black, and whilst memento mori jewelry had been around for millennia, the wearing of a dead loved one's hair ( usually braided ) became quite the thing during the Victorian era!
I don't know if it was the custom, outside of the USA, but the newly use of photography was quite the rage ( of a posed dead loved one, to look as though he or she was still alive; alone, or with other family members ) was quite the BIG thing here in America, at that time.
Over here!
To return that hearse to the barn, they’re going to need three men + a boy! ;)
Those funeral carriages were usually pulled by a team of 2 to 4 horses.
At least send up a cup of Bosco.
LOL
Not mentioned was that during that time, Europe was being psychologically ravaged by the White Plague (tuberculosis), that left the average person terrified, morbid, and depressed.
The disease could kill quickly or slowly. You could look healthy and drop dead; or you could be horribly crippled and in agony for months. The disease could afflict any organ in the body.
Some people became hyper-creative, others hyper-sexual. Many were confined to wheelchairs. Some went insane. Some looked like they were starving to death.
People became very afraid of things like premature burial, vampirism, ghouls, and other horrors.
And then there were all the other horrible diseases.
The late 19th century was roughly the beginning of what we may call the modern era of medical science. But they might as well have been in the dark ages compared to today. Far too many people romanticize the past. For most folks back then life was short and brutish.
On top of all the deadly diseases we don’t even give a thought to in the modern world, we were busy trying to kill each other off with insane levels of industrial pollution and contaminated food, water and even medicines. I read a book once that examined food processing during the height of the industrial revolution along with the levels of air and water pollution and I honestly don’t know how we survived as a species. Some of what was discussed made me physically nauseous.
As just one example... meat packers used to soak their product in formaldehyde and market it as “preserved meat.” According to the book, the embalming fluid gave the meat a sweet taste and made it very popular. It wasn’t until the early 1900’s that the practice was exposed. Fortunately, most people in those days didn’t eat nearly as much meat as we do. Still the practice likely contributed to infant and child mortality rates and made a lot of adults sick w/o them knowing why.
From family stories and my own reading about Victorian/Edwardian American and the British Empire, adulterated foodstuffs was common in big cities and moderately large ones too. Those who lived on farms and fed themselves via what they raised weren't as exposed to adulterated foods; however, neither did they often eat all that well due to weather conditions and social strata.
In London, Manchester, and other such places, one was more apt to contract and possibly die from Cholera than adulterated food ( though not lack of food ) and/or air pollution.
As shown in WW I...the average Brit recruit was much, much smaller than those from the aristocracy and those who worked on Aristos huge "country piles".
And while the available medical norms of that time seem somewhat crude to the modern mind, today, it was extremely advanced in terms of where it been just a short time earlier. For but one example...the first appendectomy was performed in London in the early 1700s; however, it wasn't until the the very late 1800s that it was taken seriously and done to save lives in London and i8n America too.
Interesting post... thanks.
:)
:^) Yeah, and they made zombie movies and built entire subcultures around “the undead”. Wait, what? ;^) Thanks nopardons!
you can find the pictures of the old dead all over the internet.
I have a pic of my dead grandmother, for she lived in Europe and there was a custom of taking a pic to send to far away relatives.
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