Gothic Horror: Consumption And Deathliness

In the Victorian Era people were fascinated by death and what was beyond it. In this modern era there is less exposure to death, therefore in a sense we have 'sanitised death'. 18% of people now die at home which means we have less experience of death in the home.

In the Victorian era more people died young as there were many more problems that we do not face in the modern age, foe example infant mortality, cholera and industrial accidents were big problems. Many people lost siblings and many children died after the time of weaning stopped. Mothers also faced the dangers of childbirth including blood loss and bacterial infection.

Cholera was a big problem in the Victorian era and there was a 60% death rate with many of the working class dying from the disease. Cholera was caused by contaminated water and was even more of a problem because of overpopulation.

Industrial jobs were difficult and people started work young. Many children worked in difficult jobs with long hours. This tiredness and difficulty often led to horrific accidents and death.

Mourning traditions were also a large part of culture during the Victorian era. Some of the traditions were that curtains were drawn, clocks stopped at the time of the death and yew or boxwood were tied to front doors by ribbon or crepe. Mourning etiquette was also a big tradition in the Victorian era; mirrors were covered in black fabric, friends and family would stay with the deceased over night as typically the sadness would set in most at this time of day. Professional mourners also were available. Famously Queen Victoria mourned her husband Albert for 40 years. She did not move any of his belongings from where they were left, for example the glass where he took his last medicine stayed on the bedside table for the whole duration. In any portraits of her after his death it can be seen that she also wears bracelets of his hair.

Graveyards were also very elaborate and often contained monuments for the deceased person with the size and decoration depending on how much the family could afford.

Photography was a popular tool used in the mourning process and it was used as a record and a keepsake of the deceased. Some of the images that were taken are very disturbing and often involve the deceased person looking alive, this is done by placing them so they are sitting or stood, the pupils of the eye would also be painted on. The pictures would also include a favourite item and relatives. Another form of photography was the Victorian Spirit Photography which was a way of showing the paranormal with the images focussed on the mourners with a photo of the deceased person located in the left or right hand side of the frame using double exposure to make it seem ghostly.

Death masks were also a popular feature in the mourning process. These were moulds taken of a deceased person's face made out of wax, clay or bronze. One of the most famous death masks is The Woman Of The Seine, which is of an unidentified women who was found in the Seine River in France. It is believed that she killed herself as there was no evidence of violence towards her. It is believed that the pathologist wanted to create a death mask of her as he found her so beautiful. After this her image became very famous and her death mask is actually used as the CPR doll.