Death mask

Death Masks -

Death masks became popular in the 1800's. These masks were usually made out of wax and plaster. The victorians had a love affair with death which they expressed in a variety of ways, both intensely and macabre.

Deaths within the victorian era - 

Infant mortality and child birth

Fatal diseases 

Death in the city

Cholera

Industrial deaths

The art of death - 

High mortality

The rise of the lark cemetery.

Memento Mori

Mourning Jewellery 

The death of prince Albert and queen Victoria's 40 year old mourning period influencing fashion.

Queen Victoria and Albert were a trend setter as how she looked after her family, people were watching everything that she did.

Morning traditions of the Victorian era - 

'wake' - where the body was watched until the burial

Keepsakes - examples of this are invitations, funeral cards and memorial cards were produced and distributed.

Family of the passer would surround the bed.

Value the very last words which were said

Photographs and death masks were produced

House were filled with moments.

Mourning Etiquette-

Cover mirrors with black fabric

Friends and family might stay with the bereaved overnight since that is the time of day when deep sadness typically sets in

Wrapping door handles black crepe tied with a white ribbon to let people know they shouldn't ring the bell as it could jar the nerves of the mourners
A person in deep mourning did not attend social events or places of amusement for up to a year
It was suggested that the calls of condolences be made 10 days following the death or when the person felt well enough to show up for church services.

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The victorian era was known for its traditions surrounding deaths and the dying, these include: curtains were drawn, clocks stopped at the time of death, mirrors were covered with crape or veiling to prevent the spirit from getting trapped in the looking glass, wreath, yew, or boxwood tied with a crape or black ribbons were hung on the frontier to alert the passerby a death has recently occurred also at the wake the body was watched at all times until the burial.

Overall i am happy with the way my death mask came out however i feel that i could practice more on enhancing highlighting instead of focusing on the shadows too much. Experimenting with the different ways the light and shadows can hit the face was intriguing to see each of the different outcomes. With enhacing the two shades the final outcome would look much more realistic.