19th Century Dress and Mourning
Following Prince Albert’s unexpected death in 1861 after contracting typhoid fever, Queen Victoria went into a deep depression, resulting in the Queen withdrawing from society and remaining in seclusion for many years. Her sense of loss was so great that she mourned him for the rest of her life, outwardly displaying her sense of loss by wearing black until the day she died. In many ways, Prince Albert’s death was the most significant turning point in the young Queen’s life and, as in life, his death continued to dominate her everyday existence. Routines in the Royal Household such as the hot water that was brought to his room every morning for his daily shave, continued long after Albert’s death, and Queen Victoria chose to spend most of her time at places such as Balmoral where she had happy memories of being with her husband.
The manner in which Queen Victoria dealt with Prince Albert’s death, privately and publicly, had a profound effect on the sensibility of widowhood during the 19th century. Mourning culture in Victorian England became much more than just about etiquette and general behaviour, it developed a language which gave the wearer an acceptable outward expression of their grief. Without a doubt, the biggest form of expression was what women wore and women’s mourning clothes were commonly referred to as Widow’s Weeds. Mourning clothes became a means of displaying internal grief during a period in our social history when external displays of emotional sorrow were seen as a sign of ill-discipline and often associated with the social taboo of hysteria.
In general, but especially amongst the new upwardly mobile middle classes, there were three stages of mourning dress for women and bereavement often required an expensive new wardrobe! The first period of ‘Full Mourning’ lasted a year and a day. During this period of mourning, clothes would be made of the deepest black to reflect the most intense stage of mourning. Chosen fabrics had to be plain with no show of shine or pattern. Outfits during this period would be made of heavy, dark fabric reflecting the weight of sorrow felt from the loss of a loved one. Little jewellery was allowed and if it was to be worn, it had to be black.
Following on from the period of ‘Full Mourning’, the second stage, or ‘Half Mourning’ might last anything from three to nine months. During this period of mourning the wearer might introduce a little subtle colour – perhaps a grey trim or sometimes even a little lavender or mauve. A white trim on the sleeve or a white collar might also be worn. Although black was still the dominant colour, lighter or figured fabrics could now be introduced as if to symbolise the beginnings of the lifting of a heavy grieving heart.
The third and final stage, which could be indefinite, would gradually see the colour black completely faded out. If they chose, women could start to introduce full colour back in to their wardrobe but, as with all stages of mourning, the introduction of differences must be considered and done gradually reflecting the wearers’ measured return back into society.
Many widows chose never to introduce colour back into their wardrobe. Given that black was such a fashionable colour during the Victorian era, it is sometimes difficult to know whether an item of clothing was a bereavement outfit or just a choice for the wearer and, given that the gradual change in dress for a widow was coupled with a gradual return back into society, one must ask the question whether some women chose to remain in Widow’s Weeds to avoid having to re-marry. Choosing instead to enjoy a greater level of freedom that perhaps, for more wealthy widows following the Married Women’s Property Act in 1870 [1], went hand-in-hand with widowhood.
[1] The Married Women’s Property Act of 1870 was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that allowed married women to be the legal owners of the money they earned and to inherit property. The Act provided that wages and property which a wife earned through her own work or inherited would be regarded as her separate property. Source: Wikipedia
