Building a Victorian cabinet of curiosities takes patience, research, and a good eye for the unusual. From mourning jewelry and human hair art to antique apothecary bottles and medical oddities, Victorian antiques tell stories about how people from the past lived, loved, and grieved.
This collector’s checklist covers 50+ Victorian antiques and curiosities to look for when building your own dark academia collection, gothic home display, or cabinet of curiosities.
Already know what's on your antique wishlist? Add it to the request section of Hemlock and Bone's Historian-Curated Custom Victorian Mystery Box!
How to Use This Victorian Antique Checklist
Not every cabinet of curiosities needs to contain rare or flashy antiques. The most memorable collections are built slowly, with pieces that reflect your personal interests and have unique histories. Use this checklist as a starting point while searching estate sales, antique shops, flea markets, auctions, and online marketplaces for antique treasures.
Victorian Mourning & Funerary Items
Victorian mourning objects are among the most recognizable and desirable pieces for serious antique collectors. Following the death of Prince Albert in 1861 and the public mourning of Queen Victoria, mourning customs became deeply woven into Victorian culture. This led to the creation of many deeply sentimental and personal memorial objects that preserved the legacy of those who had passed.
See Hemlock and Bone's Collection of Mourning and Funerary Items
[ ] Victorian Mourning Jewelry (lockets, brooches, etc.)
[ ] Victorian Mourning Attire & Accessories (veils, dresses, dress pins, etc.)
[ ] Victorian hairwork (wreaths, braids, frames, jewelry, etc.)
[ ] Funeral & memorial cards
[ ] Post-mortem photography
[ ] Cabinet Cards featuring black mourning attire
[ ] Coffin plates and burial plaques
[ ] Victorian lachrymatory perfume bottles
[ ] Victorian death masks
[ ] Antique funeral home lockboxes
[ ] Antique casket & undertaker advertisements
Apothecary & Medical Oddities
The Victorian era was a time of rapid scientific discovery, changing medical practices, and a deep and sometimes dark fascination with the mysteries of the human body. From ornate medicine bottles to unusual medical instruments, these objects offer a glimpse into the history of healing, experimentation, and everyday life in the 19th century. Collectors are often drawn to these types of apothecary and medical antiques not only for their unusual and striking appearance, but for the stories behind the people who used them and the evolving world they represent.
See Hemlock and Bone's Selection of Medical Oddities
[ ] Antique glass medicine bottles
[ ] Antique medicine metal tins
[ ] Antique poison bottles
[ ] Antique surgical equipment
[ ] Antique lobotomy & neurological tools
[ ] Antique ceramic pharmacy containers
[ ] Apothecary scales
[ ] Antique quack medicine ads & pamphlets
[ ] Antique lab specimen jars
[ ] Antique dentistry molds & faux teeth
[ ] Antique medical textbooks
[ ] Antique autopsy & embalming tools
[ ] Antique pharmacy prescription slips
[ ] Antique anatomy educational displays
[ ] Antique eyeglasses & spectacles
Natural History
During the 19th century, hobbyists, collectors, and scientists alike preserved and displayed natural specimens. Today, these pieces remain beloved by collectors for their beauty, craftsmanship, and connection to the natural world.
[ ] Antique taxidermy
[ ] Antique pinned insects
[ ] Preserved floral displays (bonus if they're from a funeral)
[ ] Antique herbal and apothecary books
[ ] Antique books with pressed botanicals
Religion & Spiritualism
In Victorian society, faith, death, and the unknown were deeply intertwined. Religious objects, devotional pieces, and spiritualist artifacts reflected a culture fascinated by questions of mortality, the afterlife, and humanity’s connection to unseen forces.
[ ] Antique Bibles, especially with inscriptions
[ ] Antique rosaries
[ ] Antique phrenology busts
[ ] Antique mesmerism & hypnotism tools
[ ] Antique wall crucifixes
[ ] Antique séance literature
[ ] Antique Ouija / talking boards
[ ] Antique reliquaries
[ ] Antique prayerbooks and devotionals
[ ] Antique last rites / communion kit
Other Antique Curiosities & Treasures
Some of the most memorable cabinet of curiosities pieces are the objects that defy easy classification. Victorian homes were filled with unusual tools, sentimental keepsakes, decorative treasures, and everyday items that reveal the interests and personalities of their owners.
See Hemlock and Bone's Selection of Antique & Vintage Curios
[ ] Antique 'Frozen Charlotte' pudding dolls
[ ] Antique ceramic & bisque dolls
[ ] Ambrotype photographs
[ ] Tintype photographs
[ ] Daguerreotype photographs
[ ] Antique coffin nails
[ ] Antique skeleton keys
[ ] Antique brass furniture hardware
[ ] Antique handwritten notes & ephemera
[ ] Antique diaries & journals
[ ] Victorian calling cards
[ ] Victorian arsenic green "poison books"
[ ] Cameo portrait jewelry
[ ] Antique newspaper advertisements
[ ] Antique lorgnettes / opera glasses
The best collections are not defined by the value of the antiques themselves, but by the stories each object carries. Curating a collection of antiques that both brings you joy and preserves the incredible history of the Victorian era is a worthwhile endeavor, whether you have a museum-quality display or simply a special collection of forgotten treasures and ephemera.
If you are ready to expand your antique collection, Hemlock and Bone's 5-star rated Victorian Mourning Antique Mystery Box contains strange and wonderful Victorian items like these. You can even request specific items & aesthetics-- there's no extra charge. All items are hand-selected by a museum historian and come with notes on the items' provenance & history.