Victorian Sentiments: The Art of Mourning, Personal and Public

Jewelry and gravestones may seem to be an unlikely combination, but both reflect society’s beliefs about death and mourning in similar ways. Though we may identify mourning jewelry and sentimental gravestone symbolism with the Victorian period, their roots and usage go back to antiquity: looking back just a few hundred […]

Jewelry and gravestones may seem to be an unlikely combination, but both reflect society’s beliefs about death and mourning in similar ways. Though we may identify mourning jewelry and sentimental gravestone symbolism with the Victorian period, their roots and usage go back to antiquity: looking back just a few hundred years reveals dramatic changes in how people thought about death.

Joanne and Dennis Picard of Westfield, Massachusetts, will share images and stories about the changes in our area with the coming of garden cemeteries and the formal ritualization of mourning. This presentation will be held in Wistariahurst Museum’s Music room on Tuesday, October 27th at 5:30pm. Admission is donation based, with a sliding scale of $1 – $10.