Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Mourning Veils



Mourning veils have an interesting history.  During the War Between the States, a lot of men were lost.  The South seemed to have a greater share of widows than the North.  There was a time after 1865 that all the women were in dark drab outfits .  The Govenor of Texas started to "outlaw" mourning wear for it was depressing too many people. They could not seem to get over their losses and kept progress from coming to heal the wounds because the women were still grieving.  Men have a short patience gift when it comes to visible mourning.  It seems that that part of our species can hide it better.  I know that men hurt, but they do not wear it in obvious places like women.
The women in this vintage photo are wearing the typical late 19th century designs.  The neckline is high, the dress length shows no ankles.  The jewelry is even black.  It is called "jet". Kind of like a black amber.
It is very shiny and looks like glass. Does any one out there have a piece from an ancestor? Take a photo and send so we can see what it looks like.
The role model in  late 1890-1910 was Queen Victoria of England.  She lost King Albert and for many, many years never wore nothing but black.  So, all the subjects of the realm and in the USA followed her lead in proper mourning attire.  The only rule of thumb we are recommended to follow these days from "Emily Post" is "do not wear red to a funeral".

I have been to a lot of funerals, most of the souls being celebrated have had a full life.  But, it does not seem that swollen eyes and tears are being camouflaged by veiling. Maybe that is what large sunglasses are for!  That is why we are creating an alternative for those who are mourning and need a bit of privacy behind a veil.  The photo of the fashion hat with veil above is an interesting study. Do any of you have a felted hat that is similar to this one that you would like to donate to the design phase? We will try to duplicate with felted ALPACA  We have the thin silk veiling with the satin edging. Become a sister with us on this project, would love to have you.

Speaking of becoming a sister, we invite guys too.  Sister can denote kinship not always gender, specifically.  that includes George! He definitely is a "soul brother".

If you will, click on the link to be a follower and you will get each Enjoy! installment.

One of the most famous of black veils was a waist length veil worn in 1963 during the processional of her husband.  Can anyone identify this lady in this shoulder length veil that is over a tam? Her sorrow is still felt to this date, at least those of us who were around in November of 1963.  Where were you?



Will keep you posted as we launch this initiative and leverage our creative resources to meet the needs of the saddened.  Mourning has always been a spectator sport for some. Our veils will lend privacy and dignity to these hours of black........
(LM  introduced me to the word leverage; means a lot of things. I like "sway" as a definition, seems less threatening and mutual gain might be an outcome.)
Congratulations to Patricio Mujica on the arrival of 'Celeste" (that is what we call her).She is a lovely beige and white huacaya alpaca cria

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