This mortal month: April 2016

April 1, 2016
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5 things that we learned about death and dying this month on social media

Taking a look at changing attitudes to death and funeral traditions

 

The female form was the focus of 16th-19th century mourning jewellery

classical female, willow, faith, hope and charity from the year 1780

Classical female facing a willow tree, with faith, hope and charity from the year 1780

Writer, jewellery historian and founder of Art of Mourning, Hayden Peters gives an excellent exploration of the trends in mourning jewellery during the 16th to 19th centuries, including memento mori and hair jewellery.

 

 

Macy’s has a memorial to its former owner who died on the Titanic

Memorial to Ida and Isidor Straus in Macy's, New York

Memorial to Ida and Isidor Straus in Macy’s, New York

Isidor and Ida Straus, died on the Titanic’s maiden voyage on April 15, 1912. The former owner of Macy’s in New York, and his wife, were much loved by employees who raised money for a bronze plaque memorial which can still be viewed today at the 34th Street entrance to the store.

 

 

A ‘house for the dead’ dating back 7,500 years has been found on Marawah Island in the UAE

Abdulla al Kaabi on an archaeological dig on Marawah Island, UAE

Abdulla al Kaabi on an archaeological dig on Marawah Island, UAE

Archaeological digs on Marawah Island, off the coast of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, have unearthed a Stone Age village containing skeletal remains in what is believed to be a ‘house for the dead’. The findings will help archaeologists learn more about ancient Arab life in the region.

 

 

‘Blooms and tombs’ tours are held every Spring in Sacramento’s Old Cemetery

Blooms and tombs tours at Sacramento Old City Cemetery

Blooms and tombs tours at Sacramento Old City Cemetery

Sacramento’s Old City Cemetery holds tours of the ‘blooms and tombs’ in the historic graveyard every Spring. The cemetery is famed for its roses, many of which are now under threat from the City Council’s new guidelines which state that markers and monuments must be fully visible from all directions now that the graveyard has designated a historial cemetery.

 

 

Death masks and other anatomical waxworks are on display in a Brooklyn exhibition

Death masks, including those of Napoleon, Henrik Ibsen and Mary Queen of Scots

Death masks, including those of Napoleon, Henrik Ibsen and Mary Queen of Scots

Brooklyn’s Morbid Anatomy Museum is showcasing an exhibition of death masks and a selection of  waxworks once shown as part of Castan’s Berlin-based Panopticum (1869-1922). The exhibition, entitled House of Wax, runs until the 30th of May and includes the death masks of playwright Henrik Ibsen and Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. Viewer discretion is advised as some of the sculptures may be considered to be of a graphic nature.