Victorian Cemetery Symbolism

05/13/21 • 32 min

What do you think of when you hear the word cemetery? Spooky? Do you think history and art museum? If you haven’t, you should! This episode explores some common symbols found in Victorian era cemeteries in the US.

Trigger Warning: Grief, loss, child loss

Some examples of the symbolism covered:

Broken columns symbolize the end of life, usually one cut short
Snapped flowers and buds symbolize a life cut short, usually a young one
Empty shoes, beds, and chairs symbolize the absence of a loved one
Lambs symbolize innocence and youth
Doves symbolize purity, peace, and the Holy Ghost
Wheat is found on the tombstones of those who lived long lives
Clasped hands symbolize marriage. A hand pointing up shows where the person has gone (Heaven)
The virtue Hope, is shown with an anchor, a symbol of a good voyage
An inverted torch symbolizes the flame of life burning on the other side
Ivy is associated with immortality and fidelity
Drapes and veils represent the passage from Earth to Heaven

Visit the Resources section of my web site to download a PDF with my photography of these symbols.

The following artists are mentioned in this episode:

Empty chair paintings – Amy Markham
Inverted torch necklace – Arcana Obscura
Hands pointing up clay imprints – Grey Squirrel Studio

Trigger Warning: Grief, loss, child loss

Some examples of the symbolism covered:

Broken columns symbolize the end of life, usually one cut short
Snapped flowers and buds symbolize a life cut short, usually a young one
Empty shoes, beds, and chairs symbolize the absence of a loved one
Lambs symbolize innocence and youth
Doves symbolize purity, peace, and the Holy Ghost
Wheat is found on the tombstones of those who lived long lives
Clasped hands symbolize marriage. A hand pointing up shows where the person has gone (Heaven)
The virtue Hope, is shown with an anchor, a symbol of a good voyage
An inverted torch symbolizes the flame of life burning on the other side
Ivy is associated with immortality and fidelity
Drapes and veils represent the passage from Earth to Heaven

Visit the Resources section of my web site to download a PDF with my photography of these symbols.

The following artists are mentioned in this episode:

Empty chair paintings – Amy Markham
Inverted torch necklace – Arcana Obscura
Hands pointing up clay imprints – Grey Squirrel Studio

Previous Episode

Sharon Bloom: The Joy is in the Connection

Sharon Bloom is a visual artist and teacher who LOVES Halloween. While her education is in painting and print making, today she is best known in the Halloween art world for her vivid Halloween themed hand-built ceramics. She enjoys clay because it gives her a chance to work dimensional.

A life-long learner, Sharon is always trying out new technology, tools, and techniques. She’s had such variety in her creative journey: painting t-shirts at Nordstrom, painting thousands of cards and buttons by hand, wholesaling, painting animals in renaissance type costumes, and more.

Sharon wants her art to help people feel a sense of joy, hope, and make them smile. It’s more important that people connect to her art than anything else. She is touched that so many of her patrons come back to see her year-after-year.

Halloween is one of her favorite things in life. Her passion started in childhood while trying to fill pillowcases full of candy during trick-or-treating. She spends time with her Halloween collection on a daily basis. She believes that collecting is a way to surround herself with her Halloween friends.

She recommended the succulent, Black Prince Echeveria, and the work for her late friend, Christine Phelps.

Check out Sharon and her work at http://www.sharonbloom.com/

Next Episode

Sarah Boyce: Seasonal Folklore and Celebration

Sarah Boyce’s love of the autumn and winter holidays will expand your understanding of the passage of time and seasons. Sarah created Garlands and Gravestones to give her space to celebrate the folklore and magic of the spookiest half of the year. In many ways, holidays celebrate the seasons and serve as markers of time. Sun dials are just one example of a visual for that passage.

Sarah loves history, especially ancient, medieval, and Renaissance. Who can resist being inspired by an Egyptian mummy? She is enchanted by how people communicate through images. Memento mori and vanitas themes are plentiful in Sarah’s work. Vanitas are still-life paintings that gained popularity during the Renaissance. They serve to remind us of the vanity of life – we need to appreciate beauty because it is ephemeral.

Sarah enjoys the technical challenge of painting skulls and moons. She can also step back and recognize that they are outright cool looking. She enjoys thinking about duality, like how poisonous plants are beautiful, but harmful if used incorrectly.

Sarah grew up and earned her undergraduate degree in art while living in Michigan. She attended grad school in Memphis, where she did her thesis on horror art. She now resides in Washington, DC, where she can indulge her love of museums. Regular visits to museums keep her energized.

You learn more about Sarah and her work at https://www.garlandsgravestones.com/