Mother, Home, & Heaven | 1881 Victorian Book | Mourning & SentimentalThe Victorian era really solidified the idea that women were not just the anchor of the home, but its moral and spiritual foundation. This high Victorian volume is filled with sentimental & devotional verses & essays that attest to the pedestal on which the mother was placed, for good or for ill. As expected from a time when child mortality & childbirth rates were extremely high, there are numerous selections on the subject of loss & grief, including

“Lover’s Eyes” are portrait miniatures in jewelry exchanged as romantic keepsakes in the early 19th century

which are frequently misidentified as “tear catchers” despite no evidence these existed

with a lock of his golden blonde hair at the top

The crowds who flocked to the church were so overwhelming

I like these telltale signs of age

mid Victorian punch paper embroidered bookmark with a silk back

The back is plain & the two covers are separated: I put this in a frame without glass if I were keeping it

The ornaments inside are all wooden

and skulls

Richly illustrated throughout with black & white illustrations

She was very nearly a keeper

but this bottle and label are original