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1901 - Queen Victoria dies
The death of Queen Victoria marked the end of the Victorian
cult of death.
From Prince Albert's death in November 1861 till her own
death, Queen Victoria insisted that his shaving equipment
was brought daily to his bedroom. She had started wearing
mourning clothes when he died, and wore the trappings of grief
for 40 years.
Queen Victoria in mourning
Since child mortality rates were high, and life expectancy
short, mourning was a common Victorian experience and there
was an elaborate set of rituals to be adhered to. For a set
period the bereaved were expected to be in full mourning,
then could move on to half mourning. A widow would go into
deep mourning for one year for her spouse, babies would be
entitled to a nine month period of mourning, followed by a
further three months of half mourning. Soon after a death
mirrors would need to be covered in black crepe, and clocks
stopped.
The trappings of mourning were a source of income to retailers
throughout the country. These include such items as jet jewellery,
black parasols and lace, handkerchiefs, armbands and mourning
cards. Retailers of course did good businesses in supplying
these items, including the Sheffield department store Cole
Brothers.
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