The Decline of Female Mourning Wear: A Case Study Analysis of Frederic Forster's Mourning Warehouse 1849–1923 in Leeds, UK

Abstract

This article discusses substantial new research which explored the trade in UK female mourning wear by tracing the history of Frederic Forster’s Mourning Warehouse, situated on Lower Briggate in Leeds 1849–1923. It also interrogated the small collection of Forster items held by Leeds Museums and Galleries (LMG). This helped to develop an understanding of why UK female mourning wear, which dominated the High Street in the late nineteenth century, began to diminish. The research subsequently examined what the Forster items signify to a present-day audience and whether the need for special clothing to denote mourning has decreased or is met by other clothing practices in a globalized world. A review of literature raised several explanations, suggesting that the cultural work done by mourning clothing is no longer required today and the symbolic efficacy of black mourning clothing disappeared as black became increasingly popular in fashionable dress. The study tested these suppositions through an object-based analysis of the items in the LMG collection and a database search of newspaper advertisements from Frederic Forster in the period 1849–1923. The research activities were filmed to synthesize the insights and the film was discussed with a selection of interview participants to explore significant new knowledge and understanding about the decline of the UK female mourning dress trade.