Tips for finding Victorian mourning relics, vintage memento mori items, and other funerary antiques
Framed Victorian mourning hair. Vintage funeral cards tucked into an antique Bible. An engraved casket plate. A haunting post-mortem cabinet card. These are the finds a collector with too much Pinterest screen time dreams of. Some people will have you believe that these things can only be found behind museum glass or listed for hundreds on the Internet, but the truth is, you can start collecting funerary antiques just about anywhere you are.
The thrill of finding an affordable and authentic Victorian mourning item is unmatched, but it can be hard to know where to start. You're probably not going to find a full Victorian mourning chest at the first Goodwill you stop at. But with practice and a good eye, you may be able to stop at an estate sale and find a hidden mourning piece for a great deal. No gatekeeping here: here are my 5 tips for finding mourning items & funeral antiques in the wild.
1. Know What You're Looking For
If you don't know what to look for, you may miss out on an incredible find. If you're serious about hunting for Victorian funeral items, familiarize yourself with the motifs of the era and the types of items worn and used in historic mourning practices. Take note of the patterns, materials, and shapes. For this, you may find it helpful to scroll through my inventory or check out this Pinterest Board for ideas.
2. Know Where to Look
Estate sales, thrift stores (especially rural or "mom-and-pop" thrifts), yard/garage sales, flea markets, Ebay, and Facebook Marketplace can all be great places to find mourning items. At estate sales, check out areas with family photos and other heirlooms, hidden boxes in high shelves or attic trunks, and other places someone might have stashed an old & fragile funeral items.
3. Don't Skip the Bookshelves
Older books at estate sales or thrift shops often hide secrets. Bibles were historically a common place to keep valuable and sentimental ephemera. I've found antique & vintage funeral cards, pressed funeral flowers, and even a braid of Victorian hair inside of old Bibles at estate sales. Old leather Bibles themselves are super interesting antiques!
4. Know Your Materials
Victorians loved darker, mimimally-reflective materials like jet for mourning jewerly. Mourning clothing often use tiny black glass seed beads and lace for trim and crepe and matte silk fabrics. Golds, brasses, and blacks were common for paper funeral memorabilia.
5. Recognize Motifs
Historic & vintage funerals often feature similar patterns or images. These include:
Willow trees
Doves
Clasped or praying hands
Angels or wings
Crosses
Sacred Hearts
Sheep/lambs (especially for children)
Religious figures - Jesus, Mother Mary, etc.
Lions, owls, horses, or other animals (rarer)
It can take time and a lot of patience before you find a true funerary or mourning artifact, but keep looking!
While you're at it, check out my Memento Mourning Victorian Mourning Antique Mystery Box. This curated mystery box features a surprise collection of antique mourning & Victorian items I've collected, and it's customized to fit your requests.
Happy hunting!
-Bella from Hemlock & Bone