thecharioteer
Senior Member
Mustapha:
I'm speechless! What a great job. Thanks.
I'm speechless! What a great job. Thanks.
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Buildings in Mourning: Toronto Commemorates the Death of Edward VII in 1910
- Thread starter thecharioteer
- Start date
Anna
Active Member
A great joint effort. Thanks. Loved the black & white.
I assumed the buildings would be draped in black crepe, but most of these look as if they are two-coloured. Any idea what colours they were? Purple and gold maybe?
FAC33
Active Member
I had the same question!
What I'm curious about is when this practice petered out. Was it still being done for the deaths of George V and George VI?
AndreaPalladio
Senior Member
I'd guess they are hung with black and purple crepe.
Back in the summer of 2001 (spooky!) Nest magazine did a story where they asked Rei Kawakubo to design mourning drapery for the US Capitol. Her ideas were interesting.
Back in the summer of 2001 (spooky!) Nest magazine did a story where they asked Rei Kawakubo to design mourning drapery for the US Capitol. Her ideas were interesting.
AlexCorey
New Member
I believe the practice of employing mourning drapery phased out along with Victorian eclecticism - I've yet to find any images of a classical art deco building covered in bunting, but then again I may be wrong. Images of George VI's funeral procession past various structures shows that curtains are drawn and drapery carried along side but not placed on the buildings.
An interesting article from the New York Times circa 1885 goes into detail about fabrics, colors, placement on the building, etc. for anyone whose particularly interested in the subject!
An interesting article from the New York Times circa 1885 goes into detail about fabrics, colors, placement on the building, etc. for anyone whose particularly interested in the subject!
Anna
Active Member
I thought I'd check the Toronto Star of the day. Yes to George V - "Whole City in gloom... and yes to black and purple - "The City Hall will be draped"
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Anna
Active Member
AndreaPalladio
Senior Member
There is a great shot in newsreels of the time (either when George VI died or when Queen Mary died a year later) of all the blinds on the windows of Buckingham Palace being pulled down, one by one.
When George VI died, the platform of the station was carpeted and hung with mourning when the train carrying his body arrived in London from Sandringham. Presumably the same was done when it was taken to Windsor for burial, but I don't think I've ever seen a photo of that.
When George VI died, the platform of the station was carpeted and hung with mourning when the train carrying his body arrived in London from Sandringham. Presumably the same was done when it was taken to Windsor for burial, but I don't think I've ever seen a photo of that.
Xray_Crystal_Junkie
Senior Member
Wow two excellent serious of posts.
Mustapha, I must say yours somewhat ruined my day though. Depressing to be reminded of some of the gems we've lost.
Mustapha, I must say yours somewhat ruined my day though. Depressing to be reminded of some of the gems we've lost.
Earlscourt_Lad
Active Member
Excellent thread. I dare say we've come to expect that from Mustapha and thecharioteer now.
I'd have to take a different tack on the loss in the photos. I do think losing some of those buildings is a shame, but I think the decline of dignified, public, gravitas represented by the decoration is a greater shame. Wholly personal opinion, but I find the plastic flowers, laminated pictures, cheap toys, and whatever else springs up at public "memorials" to be rather tawdry. This decoration however seems to communicate a sense that there is a sombre occasion at hand, but not one to be made a mess of emotion and personal display.
That's my tuppence.
I'd have to take a different tack on the loss in the photos. I do think losing some of those buildings is a shame, but I think the decline of dignified, public, gravitas represented by the decoration is a greater shame. Wholly personal opinion, but I find the plastic flowers, laminated pictures, cheap toys, and whatever else springs up at public "memorials" to be rather tawdry. This decoration however seems to communicate a sense that there is a sombre occasion at hand, but not one to be made a mess of emotion and personal display.
That's my tuppence.
thecharioteer
Senior Member
Thanks all.
An interesting footnote to Edwardian mourning customs (and to the connection between architecture and fashion) was the famous "Black Ascot" of 1910, in which the show did go on at Ascot the year of Edward's death, but everyone wore black, which needless to say was quite unusual given that black was not common for "everyday" wear unless one was in mourning (the "little black dress" was still decades away). Photos from the Ontario Jockey Club that same year show a similar trend, though of course not to the same extent as in the mother country. [A further footnote to musical fans: "My Fair Lady's" Ascot Gavotte segment was apparently inspired by the 1910 event].
The Black Ascot of 1910:
Toronto Jockey Club 1910:
An interesting footnote to Edwardian mourning customs (and to the connection between architecture and fashion) was the famous "Black Ascot" of 1910, in which the show did go on at Ascot the year of Edward's death, but everyone wore black, which needless to say was quite unusual given that black was not common for "everyday" wear unless one was in mourning (the "little black dress" was still decades away). Photos from the Ontario Jockey Club that same year show a similar trend, though of course not to the same extent as in the mother country. [A further footnote to musical fans: "My Fair Lady's" Ascot Gavotte segment was apparently inspired by the 1910 event].
The Black Ascot of 1910:
Toronto Jockey Club 1910:
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Mustapha
Senior Member
Heya everyone,
Our JT CUNNINGHAM asked me to post this for all of you.
JT actually owns this item of Victorian mourning. This piece of cloth was affixed to the front door to signify a death in the home. I'll let JT explain the rest:
"THIS “FUNERAL BADGE” WAS USED DURING AN IN-HOME LAYING OUT TO
DENOTE SUCH TO THOSE WISHING EITHER DO BUSINESS (DISCOURAGED)
OR THOSE WANTING TO ATTEND SUCH GATHERING, IT HAVING BEEN
HUNG ON THE OUTSIDE FRONT DOOR OF SAID HOME, AND SUPPLIED
BY THE OFFICIATING DISMAL TRADER.
(FROM MY COLLECTION.)
KIND REGARDS,
J T aka THE UNDERTAKER."
.
Our JT CUNNINGHAM asked me to post this for all of you.
JT actually owns this item of Victorian mourning. This piece of cloth was affixed to the front door to signify a death in the home. I'll let JT explain the rest:
"THIS “FUNERAL BADGE” WAS USED DURING AN IN-HOME LAYING OUT TO
DENOTE SUCH TO THOSE WISHING EITHER DO BUSINESS (DISCOURAGED)
OR THOSE WANTING TO ATTEND SUCH GATHERING, IT HAVING BEEN
HUNG ON THE OUTSIDE FRONT DOOR OF SAID HOME, AND SUPPLIED
BY THE OFFICIATING DISMAL TRADER.
(FROM MY COLLECTION.)
KIND REGARDS,
J T aka THE UNDERTAKER."
.
FAC33
Active Member
It's not just mourning drapery that I regret losing. It's the use of drapery and bunting for celebrations. Apart from holiday decorations, no one decorates public buildings much any more, and certainly never with bunting. Imagine what would have been done for a Queen's Diamond Jubilee a century ago (actually, we don't have to imagine--there are plenty of photos of this kind of thing).
AndreaPalladio
Senior Member
I suspect that tv killed the put out more flags method of celebrationg great occasions. We don't have to make our own party now - we can just sit at home and watch it - or jump on a plane and go to it.
It used to be commonplace for a house in mourning to hang a wreath on the door or by the doorbell - to signify to all callers that it was a house in mourning and they should knock or ring gently, or not call at all. I remember one of our neighbours doing it as late as the '70s and my mother thinking it was hopelessly oldfashioned.
In her excellent book, The Year Of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion goes into the now long gone etiquette of mourning, and explains how all those old rules really were of great assistance to the bereaved.
It used to be commonplace for a house in mourning to hang a wreath on the door or by the doorbell - to signify to all callers that it was a house in mourning and they should knock or ring gently, or not call at all. I remember one of our neighbours doing it as late as the '70s and my mother thinking it was hopelessly oldfashioned.
In her excellent book, The Year Of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion goes into the now long gone etiquette of mourning, and explains how all those old rules really were of great assistance to the bereaved.
thecharioteer
Senior Member
Imagine if the best visual artists working in LED lighting actually put their minds to "decorating" public buildings in a contemporary version of Edwardian mourning. The possibilities could be endless:
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