To refresh you memories, Elmwood is Memphis's oldest active cemetery. Families still bring their loved ones to be buried there. In its heyday of the 1850s, however, it was the place where families came to not only commune with the memories of those they had lost, they came to absorb the beauty of the grounds, and the peaceful atmosphere. This was the "Rural" cemetery so cherished by the Victorians: an escape from the activity of the outside world, and sometimes even a respite from the difficulties of life.
In the midst of the Civil War, a high infant mortality rate caused families a great deal of grief, as many children did not reach their fifth birthdays. Women lost husbands in battle; Men lost wives in childbirth, and a general vulnerability to the ravages of disease like measles, typhoid, tuberculosis, and the dreaded yellow fever decimated populations. The Victorian period swiftly became a culture of mourning, one that adopted what now seem like very rigid and precious customs. Women who had lost a spouse were expected to remain in mourning for at least two years, donning "widows' weeds," black raiment that was often terribly uncomfortable. Veils contained an acrid odor that made the eyes sting; fabric transferred black stains to the skin (colorfast dyes had not been adopted yet). The widow's manner was adopted by Queen Victoria, of course, who mourned Prince Albert for the rest of her life.
Queen Victoria of England: Reigned 1837-1901. By Alexander Bassano - Scanned from the book The National Portrait Gallery History of the Kings and Queens of England by David Williamson, ISBN 1855142287, p. 153., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6640482
Post-Mortem Photography
Again, because of the high infant mortality rate, poor sanitation, the limitations on medical research, death was very much a part of daily Victorian life. As a result, many wealthy families who had lost a loved one, sought out the aid of photographers to prepare a memento of the deceased loved one. Photographs of the individual were placed in lockets or placed on mantels for remembrance. This way, the image of the deceased was still very much alive in spirit and part of the family.
Your Response
Aside from offering us a kind of time capsule of Victorian manners and culture, Elmwood offers us a memorial to many who fought in wars (the Confederate Dead); helped to fight disease and cure the sick (the Howard Association, Mattie Stephenson, Emily Sutton, Annie Cook), challenged social norms and ideas about gender roles (Alice Mitchell), devoted their lives to the achievement of civil rights (Maxine Smith, Benjamin Hooks), as well as a store of history of Memphis dating back to 1852. In your responses, I want you to share your impressions of Elmwood, something you learned, but I want you to think about those who've gone before. How do we memorialize our loved ones? Is it with a photo we carry around? A little box of mementoes? In what ways do we carry on in the Victorian style to keep our loved ones close to us, even after they've gone on?
When my father passed away, my mother preserved and honored his memory by taking part of his favorite shirt and stretching it over a bit of cardboard. Over that, she pinned his war medals in formation across the shirt-covered board, and framed it. I have it to this day.
