Consumption, Deathliness and Momento Mori

In the Victorian times, Victorians loved telling each other different ghost stories and tales. The Victorian times was a time in history where science was developing and everything was progressing towards the world we live in society today. Education was developing and the business world was getting more advanced. There were also a lot more buildings being built. Including St Pancreas Station, London.

Many fictional ghost stories were being sold. And the 'terror' factor was popular within Victorian lifestyle. 18% of people died in their own homes in England. Most deaths were quite young too. Most children/adults would've seen someone in their family die at some point in their lives. This is so different to our culture now where we can take ill people into hospital straight away and most deaths are in hospitals now. In Victorian age malnutrition was a big factor of illness and death. Lots of women would die also by giving birth, blood loss was a huge risk when giving birth and there was not much help with this at the time. Smallpox was another common reason for death in the Victorian times however Elizabeth 1st did survive this many years before. 

In 1839 there was a big problem with sewers in England. These supplied all over the streets causing illness from the bacteria going around. There was human waste in the water supply. 60% of Manchester 22 and over died from this. 

As most families had a loved one die, they often had memorials of this person in their house. Sometimes a death mask, portrait etc. There was a constant reminder of this person around the house and they were proud to have these. This is very different to culture now where we would't usually like these kind of obvious reminders, especially all over our houses. Queen Victoria mourned over her husbands death and wore black ever since. She had a glass of medicine portrait. These reminders were called Momento Mori-Which means 'reminder of death.' 

memento mori

mɪˌmɛntəʊ ˈmɔːri,-rʌɪ/

noun

1. an object kept as a reminder of the inevitability of death, such as a skull.

   "he placed the picture in his room as a memento mori"

1839 was when photography was invented. It was very expensive at the time as it was newly found. There was a clear fascination of the afterlife and sentimental values within their lived ones. Victorians often had a family photo and would dress up their dead family member and have a photo with them 2-3 weeks after they passed. It was a time of 'spirit photography' which was popular for showing someones spirit in a photograph. Often Victorians would keep a lock of hair from their loved ones in their jewellery too, for example embedded in a necklace pendant which was sealed. The Victorians didn't show emotion through crying but showed it through mourning though the person.  

I find it so fascinating how different we mourn over people now. Traditionally we keep things of the person for example their jewellery and sometimes a piece of clothing, photos, cards, letters etc. We have a funeral for them where we remember all of the good times for the person. They're then either buried or cremated. Most deaths now are in hospitals and are a lot older than a Victorian death. 'The current life expectancy for men is 79.5 years old in the UK, while women can be expected to live to an average of 82.5 years old - and this is echoed across the globe.' wiki.