Mourning Dolls

By Crusader1307

Mourning Dolls were a type of 19th Century Victorian Era coping mechanism for a Child's death. With high mortality rates in England at the time, Child deaths were a very common thing. As we have seen with other forms of Memento Mori, Mourning Doll were in this category. Also known as ''Grave Dolls'', these were somewhat expensive to produce since each doll was hand (custom) made. Each was made approximate to the deceased child's size. Doll faces were sculpted from wax and made from photographs or portraits of the child. The deceased actual hair was often used to make the doll more realistic. The face features were often flattened at the back of the head, to allow the doll to ''lay'' as natural as possible. The doll would be used in viewings and would be taken to the child's grave. In the beginning of the practice, the doll was left at the graveside. Later though, the doll was often kept in the home in the child's crib or bed. They could be held and dressed in different clothing if one desired.