Victorian Mourning Jewelry At Historic Oakleigh

Spring is here, the azaleas are in bloom and it's a perfect time for a visit to historic Oakleigh!  All Mobilians are familiar with Oakleigh.  The beautiful ante-bellum home, circa 1833, sits beneath towering oaks and is surrounded by flowering azaleas.  Jewelry is not usually what comes to mind when thinking of the historic home, but on your next tour ask to see the collection of Victorian mourning jewelry.



According to Oakleigh's blog, "Death was a frequent visitor in the 19th century.  The undeveloped state of medicine, combined with unsanitary living conditions, led to high mortality rates.  In Mobile, epidemics of cholera, smallpox, malaria and yellow fever prompted the city to purchase land for an additional cemetery...In 1836, what is now known as Magnolia Cemetery opened just outside of the city limits (and just south of historic Oakleigh)."  One way people of the time coped with these losses was to memorialize their loved ones with mourning jewelry.






What is mourning jewelry?  Mourning jewelry has been around since at least the 16th century but it is widely associated with the Victorian era.  The trend reached its high point after the death of Prince Albert in 1861, when Queen Victoria and members of her court wore black clothes and mourning jewelry for decades.


The photo on the left is a sample of the Victorian mourning jewelry at Oakleigh.




If you were following the strict Victorian mourning procedure, mourning jewelry was the only type of jewelry allowed for the first two to three years of "deep mourning."  Different colors represented different stages of grief.  The jewelry could incorporate various colors and materials that would match the changing period of mourning.  Different metals and gems had specific meanings.  White enamel meant the deceased was a woman who died unmarried and a virgin.  Pearls would indicate the loss of a child.

Black jet, black glass and onyx were common materials for mourning jewelry.  Rings, brooches and lockets were popular and often incorporated the hair of the deceased in their design.  At a time when photography was in its infancy, this was a way to preserve something of a loved one.

Mourning jewelry quickly lost its popularity after the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 but the jewelry survives to remind us of this historic period.  Oakleigh's collection contains pieces typical of the period.  Check it out next time you visit Oakleigh!  Visit their website for details on location and hours: http://oakleighhouse.publishpath.com/