| Religion and Ritual
Rites of Passage |
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Mourning bonnet, 1850s Although black is sometimes worn at funerals today, it was de rigueur for mourning in the 1800s. Etiquette books varied on the duration of the mourning period, but a widow would wear her black dresses and bonnets for at least a year, and sometimes three. Men wore black bands around their top hats, but returned to regular wear once the funeral was over. CMC 993.1.16 |
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Baroness Macdonald and daughter Mary, mourning the death of Sir John A. Macdonald, 1893 Photograph by William James Topley National Archives of Canada, PA-25744 |
