Mourning cape

Abraham & Straus

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Victorian mourning traditions were complex and circumscribed. Full mourning, with its proscribed all-black clothing, lasted a year and a day, while second mourning, which followed, lasted six to nine months and allowed for some use of trim and small jewelry. Half-mourning lasted three to six months and allowed for more elaborate fabrics and jewelry. This cape is an example of a half-mourning evening garment. It was purchased at Abraham & Straus by Brooklyn resident Florence Madden Adriance (1878-1915), who was the grandmother of the donors. Founded in 1865 as Wechsler & Abraham by Abraham Abraham (1843-1911) and Joseph Wechsler (ca. 1837-n.d.), Abraham & Straus became the largest department in store in Brooklyn during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Costume Institute

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Costume Institute's collection of more than thirty-three thousand objects represents seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to the present.

Metropolitan Museum of Art