Posts Tagged ‘goth jewelry’

Death and the Gothic go together like … two things that go together. Much of our modern gothic fashion is modelled from the idea of memento mori, and the trappings of Victorian mourning ritual. I thought it might be interesting to research the two:

Memento Mori, translated from Latin, means “remember you will die”, or “remember your mortality”. A memento mori is an object or talisman a person keeps with them, or a depiction or painting drawn to remind them of their own mortality.

The phrase dates back to ancient Rome, where a servant would shout the words to the General as he paraded through the streets of Rome in his Triumph (a parade to honor his victory in war). The servant’s job was to stand behind the general and remind him, even though he was on top of his game, tomorrow he could die.

"Danse of Death", by Michael Volgernut, 1493.

When Christianity swept across the world during the Medieval period, so too did a fascination with death and divine judgement. Memento mori appear in funeral artwork on the tombs of noblemen – including the gruesome cadaver tombs, where the funerary artist depicts the decaying body of the deceased.

Another popular Memento Mori scene from the 15th Century was the danse macabre. In this scene, a dancing Grim Reaper summons souls from all stations and walks of life to dance alongside him. The danse macabre reminded people of the inevitability of death, whether they were a king, a child, a worker, or a slave.

When it came to mourning those who had already passed, the Victorians had some of the most unique and sombre rituals. In a society bound by strict rules of etiquette, it’s no surprise funerary and mourning customs had strict rules and customs. Victorian Mourning consisted of two stages:

At first glance, this looks like a normal photo, but this fireman is dead. Behind his left leg, you can see a stand which is holding him up. (As if his creepy, white eyes didn't give it away)

Deep (or Full) Mourning: The length of Deep Mourning depended on the age and sex of the person who died and your relationship to them. Men wore an armband to signify their Deep Mourning, but women were thought to be in more emotional turmoil than men, so were subjected to special rules.

If your husband died, leaving you a widow, you would remain in Deep Mourning for a year and a day. You would wear clothing made only from black crepe – a dull fabric with no shine. All your adornments, including your handkerchief, gloves and parasol, had to be black.

You would draw the curtains, and stop every clock at the time of death. You cover all mirrors, in case the deceased’s soul becomes trapped in the glass. You stand guard over the body until it is buried. You cannot leave the house except for church and to visit relatives.

Half Mourning: After the period of full morning finished, half-mourning began. In half-mourning, grey, white and purple were permitted, although trimmings, jewelry and accessories would remain black.

Victorians took the idea of memento mori to a new and macabre level, often carrying lockets and items of jewelry containing hair from their dead loved ones. These pieces usually contained jet or other black stones.

They were mad about post-mortem photography, where the deceased would be posed in a portrait, dressed in their usual clothes and made to look as though they were still alive. Photographic equipment had just being invented, and was considerably cheaper and quicker than painted portraits, so the Victorians took every chance they could to pose for a photograph.

In most post-mortem photographs, the dead are shown in a serene sleep, but in some, given that the portrait sitting might be the family’s only opportunity for a photograph, the body will be propped up, dressed and made-up, eyes held open with glue or clamps, or painted on over closed eyelids, and surrounded by the family. Children would be posed with their favorite toys, giving a more lifelike scene. Unlike memento mori, these pictures were thought of as memories, not reminders of mortality.

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In this picture, you can see the girl's pupils have been painted on, and the stiffness of her hands, which would have been held in place with lengths of wire. The stand behind her feet would run up her body with clamps at her neck and waist, and her clothing would be open at the back.

• Memento Mori from Wikipedia
• The Museum of Mourning Photography
• Victorian Death Rituals by Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens in Ancestry magazine
• Victorian Death and Mourning – a Flickr set
• Art of Mourning Blog

Memento Mori Fashion

Get the look of a Victorian lady in Full Mourning with some of Lip Service’s dark designs:

• a Princess Tears Blouse or Dark Delphine Jacket from The Blacklist, to keep off that graveyard chill
• Victorian Long Dress from the LS Step in Time collection
• a piece of mourning jewelry from Art of Mourning, to remember your departed lover
• Lace-up long gloves
• conjoined skull memento mori ring from Blood Milk Jewelry