Widows Unveiled: Fashionable Mourning in Late Victorian New York

Somber black crepe gowns, long black veils, a strand of Whitby jet beads or a bracelet braided from a loved one’s hair, black-edged handkerchiefs—these were just some of the trappings of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century mourning. Middle- and upper-class Americans of this era were expected to follow strict etiquette guidelines in all aspects of their lives, including—perhaps especially—following a loved one’s death. Sustained by advice writers, newspapers, and the retail and manu...