10/23/2026
🎃 SPOOKY ARTIFACT HIGHLIGHT 🦇
This Victorian-era mourning fan and bonnet from the museum’s collection would have been worn by wealthy land owners and upper-middle class society during the 19th century.
Society’s mourning dress codes reached their absolute peak of complexity during the Victorian era and Gilded Age, where women navigated a strict, multi-stage timeline that dictated everything from fabric texture to jewelry.
After losing a spouse, men typically only mourned for three months and were expected to return to work immediately. Their mourning fashion was simple: a black armband, a ribbon on the lapel, or a black crepe band wrapped around their hat. Women, on the other hand, mourned for over a year (and sometimes multiple years), moving from periods of full mourning, to second mourning, to half mourning, each stage with its own accepted fashions. Full mourning took place immediately after the death and lasted one year and one day in strict social isolation, with unadorned black dresses, black veils over the face, solid black accessories, and no embellishments or trim.
The beautiful black lace and detailing on our bonnet signifies this would have most likely been worn during second mourning for around nine months after the initial phase. However, due to the astronomical casualty rate during the Civil War, women across the American south were thrown into a perpetual state of mourning and were often forced to abandon or adjust traditional expectations. This would happen again during WWI, leading to strict, formal mourning rules finally dying off.
