Historic

Extravagance in Mourning: 19th Century Mourning Fashion and the Commercialization of Death

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Abstract

This study examines the commercialization of death through an analysis of Victorian mourning garments housed in our university’s historic collection. Although mourning dress has been widely discussed in relation to social custom and emotional expression, its ties to emerging 19th-century consumer culture remain underexplored. Using Social Practice Theory and a systematic cataloging of the collection, alongside period newspapers and women’s publications, this research highlights how industrialization, the rise of the middle class, and Queen Victoria’s prolonged mourning shaped mourning dress into a socially enforced consumer practice. Findings reveal how expectations for proper mourning disproportionately burdened middle- and lower-class women, who often faced financial strain to maintain social respectability. Garment comparisons within the collection further illuminate class divisions embedded in mourning attire. This project connects historical mourning fashion to the origins of today’s profit-driven funeral industry, revealing the lasting implications of 19th-century consumerism on contemporary grief practices.

Keywords: mourning fashion, Victorian dress, funeral industry, death, historic garment collection

How to Cite:

Dodderidge, W. & Doty, K., (2025) “Extravagance in Mourning: 19th Century Mourning Fashion and the Commercialization of Death”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 82(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.21842