…cameo embedded in glass. This is a mourning piece. The cameo shows a woman leaning on an anchor of hope. The seed pearls represent tears. A lock of hair is…

…states in the trade label above, he could even copy an older profile and paint it showing more up-to-date fashions. The copies also came in handy for mourning pieces. When…

…held it down in order to smile at you. The black lace shawl (called a cloak in the description) is not used a a mourning accessory here, especially taken together…

Fashions of London and Paris, May 1805. “Promenade Dresses.” Even though two of the dresses shown here include black lace, they are not mourning dresses. Black lace was simply very…

La Belle Assemblée, March 1810. “Hyde Park Walking Dress” This pelisse has a very masculine, almost military look. Black is not used here for mourning. It was simply a very…

Ackermann’s Repository of Arts, March 1811. “Opera Dress.” The general commentary on fashion in this issue of the magazine states that after the long mourning for Princess Amelia, and the…

…closer to a shawl. The fact that is is black lace does not signify that this is a half-mourning costume. Black lace shawls and other over-garments were popular throughout the…

…the next two decades. Black is used here for trimmings and for hats. This is not due to mourning. At this time, black was simply a very fashionable color. The…

…use of black lace in the dress shown on the right does not necessarily represent mourning. In prints from c1798 – c1805, black is often seen in trimmings, and seems…

…a warp of silk and weft of worsted, having a twilled appearance with a very dull finish. It was commonly dyed black, making it an ideal fabric for mourning garments….