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Prince Consort's statue unveiling

Explore how Albert was memorialised across art forms

Mourning Objects

In the nineteenth century, mourning objects took many forms. However, the most common form was jewellery, often set with a lock of human hair. The inclusion of hair served as a lasting link to a physical presence that was now lost. Onyx, jet and black enamel were frequently used as materials in jewellery. The death of public figures also often generated the commercial production of affordable memorial objects, such as tape measures, dress accessories and commemorative stationary. Two books, Sir Walter Scott’s Novels and Tales and Alfred Tennyson’s Idylls of the King, are especially associated with Queen Victoria’s early years of mourning.

Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (1809-92)

Idylls of the king

Queen Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1819-1901)

'Tis better to have loved & lost than never to have loved at all'

Camille Silvy (1834-1910)

Queen Victoria's Locket

Camille Silvy (1834-1910)

Locket

Attributed to John Jabez Edwin Mayall (1813-1901)

Mourning ring with a microphotograph of Prince Albert (1819-61)

John Jabez Edwin Mayall (1813-1901)

Memorial tape measure

Camille Silvy (1834-1910)

Pendant