Ephemera
Mourning (or funeral) cards are among the most prolific of mourning items and also the least expensive. Their intrinsic value, however, is exponential and their message is often one of a personal nature that can easily be disseminated throughout any region via mail. Memorial cards have been in use long before other items were employed, as letters announcing deaths can verge on the ancient. For the purposes of this website, a look at the rise of memorial cards within the industry and their use today is applicable.
Often with prayers or biblical verses written on the card, funeral cards could be purchased and customised to fit the occasion, with the opportunity for a photograph of the deceased (not a post mortem photograph), placed upon the card. DeLorme gives the account of H. F. Wendell who produced cards in multiple languages and employed women around the United States to ‘gather obituary notices and submit them to the company for a penny apiece.1’ From there, the company would print a sample card and send it along with ‘literature to the family of the deceased for placing orders.’ Cards, being cheap and relatively easy to produce were the backbone of an industry that could appeal to all classes through different items from the pauper to royalty. Mourning stockists, such as Jay’s Mourning Warehouse on Regent Street, London (a noted milliner) is another fine example of the industry at its height with ‘funerals, at stated charges, conducted in London or Country’, showing just how powerful the industry had become, funerals and their surrounding paraphernalia had industries that thrived. In Australia, the Mourning Card Co. was popular from the 19 th to the 20 th Century.
Embellishments upon the card, such as the use of painted easels, gold frames, silk ribbons and other decoration are necessary depending on the use of the memorial card. If the card is to be displayed at the funeral or in the house, then the embellishment is more opulent, rather than the simple variety that was handed out / mailed.
Paper ephemera, such as funeral cards, Berlin-work and lithographs range from personal mourning to finished art. Funeral cards are the most prolific of this sort, their use is still active today, but the neoclassical symbolism to common in the art form was still being used by the early 20th Century, as the above example shows. Often with black borders black (but not always), funeral cards announced the death of a loved one or a public figure. Funeral cards for Queen Victoria command a decent price and cards with the original envelopes are popular with collectors of memorial art and ephemera collectors alike. Berlin-work (perforated paper with embroidery) was popular in the mid 19th Century and follows the style much the same as the memorial samplers2. Lithographs and other art forms developed with the 19th Century, American styles grew with the Civil War in the 1860s, a wonderful example of this style can be seen in a Gettysburg memorial card, Sullivan County. The background is largely dark, with the hand colouring standing starkly from the backdrop. Also note the American symbolism in the piece.
One of the most important moments in the history of the memorial industry was the death of Prince Albert on December 14th, 1861 which caused a massive upheaval in the popularity of mourning jewels and culture. Obviously, this was due to the national state of mourning and Queen Victoria’s subsequent perpetual period of mourning. As for the card itself, this particular piece is embossed (a method that was standardised), with the sentimental content being specifically chosen; which would have been produced in quantity for Albert and available to the masses. The weeping angels, cherubs, urns and forget-me-nots are all popular motifs carried through from an earlier time and evolved to their current status in artwork of the 1850s/60s.
| Courtesy: |
Barbara Robbins |
| Dedication: |
"In Memory of JANE CAROLINE PARNELL, BORN MARCH 18TH, 1867, Died April 28th, 1882, AGED 15 YEARS, "My lovely star of light, so pure, so calmly bright, How glittering you will shine to view in Heaven's splendid height." |
In this fine embossed and diecut (with delicate fretwork) example from 1882, the quality, care and symbolism is the epitome of its time. With two angels weeping and the face of Jesus in between, its religious significance is undeniable. The cypress tree and the willow among the graveyard (sorrow and hope) are beautifully tied together with the form of the card. Its inscription is personal and this piece is of the highest quality for a card of its type. To the 1880s, the size and usage of a card like this is for display purposes and not for mass dissemination to the public, unlike cards that would follow and lesser cards of its time. To show what the more regular form of cards were like, a study of the Queen Victoria ephemera is necessary.
Queen Victoria's death in 1901 exemplifies the pinnacle of her age, with her she took the mourning industry and the grandeur of her funeral is the culmination of mourning she had surrounded herslef with since 1861. In 1901, a merging of the technology to mass produce the mourning cards as well as the means to convey them meant her funeral cards and ephemera were widely prolific and a clear measure of the status of those who owned/recieved them.
The below collection of ephemera from Queen Victoria’s funeral shows the extent to which the mourning process had become a public event, not only in the ceremony, but in industry that could feed of the event itself. Funeral cards for Queen Victoria were exceptionally prolific and quite simple to obtain even today, however, many come in different forms and quality. Being products of the turn of the century, Victoria memorial cards follow the formal, almost neo Empire style that was flourishing. Simple, clean lines, such as the typical black border seen in most memorial cards without the heavy embellishing of the Victorian Rococo style that was not heavily in fashion (Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau were reaching their peak), though the flourishes are still there.
| Courtesy: |
Barbara Robbins |
| Dedication: |
"In Memoriam of Her Most Gracious Majesty, QUEEN VICTORIA, Born May 24th, 1819, Died At OSBOURNE JANUARY 22nd, 1901. . . . "To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die." |
In the case of the above card, its formal styling and rendering of Queen Victoria are elegant in their nature and can be seen as a cut above the generic cards that were produced. Note that the frame is a modern addition that works to complement the card itself and the inscription of “to live in our hearts is not to die” is a grand statement of affection and not a personal one. The use of ‘our’ in the text implies that the card had mass appeal and proves the reverence to the Queen for its time.
| Courtesy: |
Barbara Robbins |
| The Graphic: The Funeral of Our Beloved Queen Victoria, February, 1901 |
One of the most impressive pieces of paper ephemera to be produced for Victoria’s funeral is this copy of The Graphic: The Funeral of Our Beloved Queen Victoria. The symbolism of the two angels holding hands above the front text is a subtle hint at the contents which never become heavy handed in mourning, but celebrate the British Empire and depict the funeral. Note the black cover and silver border and the interior with black border on white paper, the latter being a common device in latter 19 th Century / early 20 th Century ephemera. Costing a shilling, the book opens to a grand vision of the British Empire, with only the angel holding Victoria’s birth and death dates looking downwards, while the others trumpet the strength of the Empire over the sea. Every interior picture of the funeral itself never strays from being superb and makes this important as a memorial piece and as an historical document.
For the funeral itself, this funeral programme is one of the most literal pieces of mourning paraphernalia. It shows the procession of the funeral along with a timeline of her life and achievements. Note the black border once again. The programme itself has a natural photo of the Queen and shows the advancement of the technique at the turn of the century, as printing had advanced to the stage where large photography was a feasible option to produce at an affordable cost.
The memorial pin with black silk attachment represents a memorial card in its style and is quite a delicate piece. Worn publicly as a memorial item for the funeral and the following period, it has a statement of ‘In Memory of our BELOVED QUEEN born May 24 th, 1819 / Died Jan 22 nd, 1901 / Reigned 68 years, 126 Days’. On the front it shows a gentle depiction of Victoria inside a black circle. That pieces like this can survive so well through the years is remarkable and the common and tactile purpose of it shows the level of public mourning that followed Victoria’s death.
Memorial card art followed strong continuity following the decline of the mourning industry post 1880 and variation in the art didn’t follow the excessive change to match contemporary trend as it had previously. This card from 1892 and the card below are over twenty years apart but show a strong connection in their art. Printing plates and the artwork had already been established as set mourning iconography, and changing would have been an expensive task. Style would dictate change in the years to come, as the following examples show.
This piece is also made more sentimental by the addition of the fireman’s button and the hair – not woven by anyone in the industry, but clipped and applied to the card. It is also placed inside a frame with a correction to the date of death inscribed to the wood in the back. The sentimentality in mourning pieces, whilst there was a mainstream decline, was no less than it had been previously. Changing popular thought after so many years of mourning conditioning is not something that could happen in the space of a generation, an important factor when considering late Victorian pieces of any sort.
This smaller, Australian card from 1915 follows a style that was commonly used in the 1890s. Not much has changed in its context or construction, though up to the 1920s, there was little to change in these well established pieces. The gold etching to the card in the border and wreath and very reminiscent of the late Victorian period, but the size of the card make it useful for presentation and handing out.
Though of different shapes and sizes through the 19 th Century, memorial cards, as the 20th Century evolved, cards became smaller (often more cost effective and easier for postage) as well more formal. The use of symbolism in flowers and various artwork flourishes were becoming more standardised in funeral cards and many of the same designs continue to this day. In the example of the George V card, it is a book format that came into play during the 1920s and 30s. Once again, the familiar black border is carried through, though quite elegantly to the envelope as well. The photo of George V is inside, as well as simple typography, which is quite a distance from the earlier pieces of Victoria’s funeral. Notice the stying is a clear evolution of the form, however, though the styling to the front of the card (with floral / cross motifs) and the text ‘Peace, Perfect Peace’ are quite the herald for what would come.
Photography and memorial ephemera are intrinsically linked and the use of photography within memorial ephemera only grew as the process became more cost effective. As for the printing and the artwork itself, this piece shows the development of the neoclassical symbolism that had by now (early 20th century) become strongly linked to the mourning industry. Used here to surround the photograph, the symbolism is highly embellished, with the dove, columns, flowers, Christian symbols all being framed by a black curtain that is seeming to be pulled back. Artwork like this had always been linked with Christianity, but this had become increasingly more prominent, with standard artwork being used for the majority of Christian denominations. Neoclassical symbolism had transcended Protestant and Catholic in the mainstream, with generic bible quotations and symbolism.
With mourning being a constant earner of capital, events draw quite a large amount of memorial paraphernalia, as seen in the previous examples. Never outdone, the US has mass produced memorial pieces dating as far back as Washington. Lincoln items are notable in that he died not long after the Civil War when the American memorial industry had become centralised and large enough to produce many different items. In this JFK piece above, the style still retains the black border and a prayer (common for memorial cards and that he was a Catholic). There was another version of this card produced, which Mrs Kennedy had destroyed due to her dislike of the picture, though some are still in existence.
Handed out as a response to the outpouring of grief towards the death of her husband, this memorial card shows the appreciation Mrs Kennedy felt for the people. It follows the formal memorial card design that still exists, in the black border on the card and envelope and is an elegant piece of stationery. Notice the similarities between this and the card for George V, both only thirty years apart.
Much more simplistic in its style is this piece for Elvis Presley which is also a token of appreciation from the family. Desirable to collectors of Elvis memorabilia, it also shows that the cards were still as popular as ever and how the style had changed. Not showing the usual flourishes, it relies on its use of font and typography to convey its message and it accomplishes that well.
