Costume History

Old Jokes’ Home Celebrating Tell an Old Joke Day with Victorian gallows humor, cholera jokes, puns, and heartlessness.

Detritus of the Dead Mourners of the past used the detritus of the dead–personal artifacts and mementos–to make mourning wreaths.

Haunted by a Death-bed Promise Some spouses asked for death-bed promises that their husband or wife would not remarry. And some returned from beyond the grave to enforce that promise.

Fairy Crowns of Scandinavia Stories of fairy crowns taken from the huldre-folk of Scandinavia.

May Queen Crowned in Coffin A May Queen dies, but May Day still goes on and she is crowned in her coffin.

Pickled to Death Deaths from embalming fluid poisoning, often mistaken for alcohol.

Embalmed alive Horrific tales of ingestion of embalming fluid or premature embalming.

Ashes a la carte Ashes of the dead eaten by the living.

A New Year’s Parade of the Damned