Gallery Talk: Dressed for Mourning – Customs of Death & Remembrance

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, death came with an elaborate set of customs that governed everything from what you wore and how you decorated your home to how long you were expected to grieve.

Join Collections Director Robert A. Presnar for a fascinating look at the rituals our ancestors used to honor the dead and navigate loss. From black crepe and mourning veils to memorial jewelry, photographs, and works of art, discover the traditions — some beautiful, some curious, and some surprisingly complex — that helped families remember their loved ones and come to terms with mortality.

Along the way, we'll explore what these customs reveal about changing attitudes toward death, grief, family, and remembrance — and why many traditions that once seemed essential have all but disappeared.

This gallery talk is presented in conjunction with Knock on Wood: Early American Superstitions and Taboos, a multi-room thematic exhibition in the Alex C. Hoyt Period House exploring the beliefs, customs, fears, and superstitions that shaped everyday life in early America.