| FRENCH LADY OF 16TH CENTURY IN WIDOW'S WEEDS. | GERMAN WIDOW'S DRESS OF TO-DAY. |
Of late years, in this country, mourning has been considerably modified, particularly for the male sex, who often content themselves with a black hat-band and another on the left sleeve of dark-coloured clothes. By Scotch law, whether a man dies solvent or insolvent, his widow may claim out of his estate, sufficient for mourning suitable to her rank, and the same privilege applies to each of her children, who are old enough to be present at their father's funeral. This right takes precedence over any debts the dead man may have contracted, and is a distinction not accorded to English, Welsh, or Irish widows.
In most European countries black is the accepted colour for mourning; though in different parts of the globe white, yellow, red, brown, and even blue garments are prescribed by custom as the emblem of death.
These shades have been selected for the following reasons:—Black is symbolical of the gloom which surrounds one when those who are nearest and dearest are taken. Black and white express sorrow mixed with hope, and white alone the light which follows the night of mourning. Blue, the tint of the heavens, to which it is hoped the spirit forms have taken flight. Yellow is typical of the dead autumn leaf, and brown the earth to which the body returns. Violet, a royal colour, is generally used for the mourning of kings and high dignitaries of the Church. Scarlet is also used for royal mourning occasionally.[A]
| THE DEATH CRIER. | ENGLISH WIDOW'S DRESS OF TO-DAY. |
[A] For permission to reproduce some of the drawings from Davey's "History of Mourning," I am indebted to Messrs. Jay, Regent Street, London.