Widows Unveiled
Description
Somber black crepe gowns, long black veils, a strand of Whitby jet beads or a bracelet braided from a loved one's hair, black-edged handkerchiefs--these were just some of the trappings of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century mourning. Middle- and upper-class Americans of this era were expected to follow strict etiquette guidelines in all aspects of their lives, including--perhaps especially--following a loved one's death. Sustained by advice writers, newspapers, and the retail and manufacturing industries, mourning culture was prevalent in daily urban life. Prescriptive guidelines were most extreme for the widow, who was expected to mourn her lost husband for at least two years, including one in seclusion from society. Filled with nuanced requirements for how to live and what belongings to live with, these customs would have been difficult, if not impossible, for most women to follow--especially those suddenly impoverished by their widowhood. Widows Unveiled illuminates American mourning practices between the Civil War and World War I through an investigation of the textual, material, and visual culture of New York widowhood. Illustrated with images of period costumes, jewelry, accessories, drawings, and photographs, Widows Unveiled analyzes mourning etiquette and its accouterments, interprets the abundant negative stereotypes of widows in visual culture, and explains the slow, uneven demise of mourning practices in the twentieth century. Author Rebecca McNamara demonstrates that material mourning was far more complex and confusing than is generally acknowledged and that its purpose went beyond superficial consumption: indeed, the black-crepe-enrobed and -veiled woman, as she navigated a society critical of and even hostile to widows, was both demonstrating an ideal feminine role--loyal, doting wife--and signifying a continued independent presence in polite society.
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ISBN:
9781942303091
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Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | ceb0bfbb-39d2-c29e-6fad-911a2036351c |
---|---|
Grouping Title | widows unveiled |
Grouping Author | rebecca mcnamara |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2024-01-26 15:04:47PM |
Last Indexed | 2024-04-27 23:40:30PM |
Solr Fields
accelerated_reader_point_value
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accelerated_reader_reading_level
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author
McNamara, Rebecca
author2-role
hoopla digital
author_display
McNamara, Rebecca
display_description
Somber black crepe gowns, long black veils, a strand of Whitby jet beads or a bracelet braided from a loved one's hair, black-edged handkerchiefs--these were just some of the trappings of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century mourning. Middle- and upper-class Americans of this era were expected to follow strict etiquette guidelines in all aspects of their lives, including--perhaps especially--following a loved one's death. Sustained by advice writers, newspapers, and the retail and manufacturing industries, mourning culture was prevalent in daily urban life. Prescriptive guidelines were most extreme for the widow, who was expected to mourn her lost husband for at least two years, including one in seclusion from society. Filled with nuanced requirements for how to live and what belongings to live with, these customs would have been difficult, if not impossible, for most women to follow--especially those suddenly impoverished by their widowhood. Widows Unveiled illuminates American mourning practices between the Civil War and World War I through an investigation of the textual, material, and visual culture of New York widowhood. Illustrated with images of period costumes, jewelry, accessories, drawings, and photographs, Widows Unveiled analyzes mourning etiquette and its accouterments, interprets the abundant negative stereotypes of widows in visual culture, and explains the slow, uneven demise of mourning practices in the twentieth century. Author Rebecca McNamara demonstrates that material mourning was far more complex and confusing than is generally acknowledged and that its purpose went beyond superficial consumption: indeed, the black-crepe-enrobed and -veiled woman, as she navigated a society critical of and even hostile to widows, was both demonstrating an ideal feminine role--loyal, doting wife--and signifying a continued independent presence in polite society.
format_category_eh
eBook
format_eh
eBook
id
ceb0bfbb-39d2-c29e-6fad-911a2036351c
isbn
9781942303091
last_indexed
2024-04-28T05:40:30.950Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
local_time_since_added_eh
Year
primary_isbn
9781942303091
publishDate
2016
publisher
Distributed Art Publishers
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Electronic books
title_display
Widows Unveiled
title_full
Widows Unveiled [electronic resource] / Rebecca McNamara
title_short
Widows Unveiled
topic_facet
Electronic books
Solr Details Tables
item_details
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---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
hoopla:MWT11866144 | Online Hoopla Collection | Online Hoopla | eBook | eBook | 1 | false | true | Hoopla | https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/11866144?utm_source=MARC&Lid=hh4435 | Available Online |
record_details
Bib Id | Format | Format Category | Edition | Language | Publisher | Publication Date | Physical Description | Abridged |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
hoopla:MWT11866144 | eBook | eBook | English | Distributed Art Publishers | 2016 | 1 online resource (131 pages) |
scoping_details_eh
Bib Id | Item Id | Grouped Status | Status | Locally Owned | Available | Holdable | Bookable | In Library Use Only | Library Owned | Holdable PTypes | Bookable PTypes | Local Url |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
hoopla:MWT11866144 | Available Online | Available Online | false | true | false | false | false | false |