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40 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, December 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 30, 2004 When Somebody Dies ... a short history of death Part 5 of 7 When Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, died in December 1861, the queen donned a widow’s cap, had black hung everywhere and went into seclusion for five years. Members of the household wore black armbands until 1869. Embalming gained popularity during the American Civil War, and in 1865 Abraham Lincoln’s embalmed body was seen by mourners from the East Coast to Illinois. Shaped in part by these famous deaths, mourning and funeral practices in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were marked by gloom and darkness. Jewelry made of human hair was popular. Photos were important. As cities grew, large cemeteries replaced rural churchyards. Elaborate memorials became common. Obituaries memorialized loved ones. Objects for funerals were mass-produced for profit. Advertisement After the Civil War funerals became more commercial. Families still prepared the body, but merchants might sell them the coffin and provide a hearse. The rise of the funeral industry accelerated in the early 20th century. People began dying in hospitals rather than at home. Undertaking gained the trappings of a profession. As workers picked up the body, prepared it and handled funeral details, intimacy with death was banished from the family hearth and consigned to the funeral home or mortuary. The undertaker, whose job could be traced back as far as 17th century England, became a "funeral director." As the title suggested, he typically directed all facets of the procedure. Funerals became more elaborate and more expensive. Mortuaries added "counseling rooms" where caskets and services were sold, and "chapels" for displays of the dead. Bodies were embalmed and dressed in their finest, with their hair coiffed and makeup applied. All this came at a price. Today’s average funeral costs more than $5,000, and with burial costs, flowers, limousines, obituaries and more can easily top $10,000. Tomorrow: The American Way of Death Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities