Remembering the dead and laying them to rest in the Victorian Era.

Presented by Sandra Fenton

Come stroll through cemeteries of the late 1800s. Learn about the rituals of both loss and remembrance, from the commonplace to the bizarre. Become acquainted with the symbolism and language of mourning, and see how both science and superstition permeated these trends.


Sandra Fenton is a historian and cemeterian from Northern Illinois. Long interested in the folklore and traditions surrounding rites of passage and the macabre, she helps maintain a small cemetery and preserve the eroding names of the dead before they weather away. She takes her tea without cream or lemon, and enjoys long picnics among the headstones on warm, cloud dappled days.

 

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