Jewelry made from human hair and postmortem photos: 20 unsettling Victorian traditions that were perfectly normal

Believe it or not, Victorians made jewelry out of human hair, and this wasn’t limited to just a few eccentric collectors. Hair was often woven into brooches, rings, bracelets, and necklaces because it was physically connected to the person who had worn it. You could literally carry a piece of someone with you, and people found that touching—not creepy.

Don’t want to wear a locket containing strands of hair around your neck? No problem: strands of hair were also found in framed wreaths and floral arrangements that people displayed in their homes. These usually consisted of strands from several loved ones, turning this decorative item into a kind of family memento. 

If you’re a fan of “junk journaling” today, you should know that women in Victorian high society had a practice that was vaguely similar: they created albums by cutting out photographs and assembling faces, animals, objects, and scenes to create surreal compositions. It was actually a fairly common pastime, and these images served primarily as a way for them to give free rein to their creativity. 

It’s not every day that you pose for a photo with a deceased loved one, but postmortem photography has become a recognized form of mourning. For many families—especially those who had never had an official portrait taken before the person’s death—this final image has become the only portrait they’ve ever had.

In case you hadn’t noticed, Victorians loved bright green pigments, but some of the most popular shades were made from arsenic compounds. They were found everywhere—from wallpaper to clothing to decorative items—even as more and more people became concerned about their health effects. 

Seances were not always viewed as a fringe form of entertainment, and many Victorians considered them to be perfectly respectable gatherings. Participants would sit around tables awaiting messages from the afterlife, and this practice became widespread in spiritualist circles in the late 19th century. 

After someone died, families used to cover mirrors and stop clocks—partly out of custom and partly out of superstition. This may seem strange to us today, but these beliefs were meant to mark the exact moment of death, ward off bad luck, and prevent any spiritual disturbances in the home. 

There’s no denying it: taxidermy has a rather morbid quality to it. But this practice was common during the Victorian era, when stuffed animals were often found in homes, where they served as decorations. In fact, these stuffed animals were arranged in elaborate displays that sparked conversation—and all of this was perfectly normal.

You may have heard of ball books, but calling cards were just as important to Victorians. Leaving a card with someone could be a sign of both politeness and social ambition, depending on the context and the rules of etiquette. For the most part, Victorians used them to organize their visits, make introductions, and maintain their social status. 

The next time you think your lot in life is pretty sad, just remember that some Victorians sent cruel, humorous cards called “sour Valentine’s Day cards.” These were designed to mock the recipient’s appearance, manners, or social standing, and could be surprisingly ruthless. 

Listen, this is the 19th century, and that means people used stationery for everything, including life’s darkest moments. That’s why letters of condolence were often written on stationery with a black border, so that the mourning would be immediately apparent. This border signaled to recipients that the correspondence concerned a death or a time of mourning. 

The concept of “plant parents” is nothing new, but the Victorians were so fascinated by ferns that this craze even gave rise to a specific term: pteridomania. People collected them, illustrated them, built greenhouses specifically for them, and incorporated fern motifs into interior design and fashion. 

Before modern funerals became common, many people died at home, and their bodies were laid out there for family and visitors. It may seem crazy, but back then, people didn’t shy away from death, and it was quite common to simply lay out the deceased in the living room.

These days, we all love receiving mail at Christmas, and Victorian cards certainly helped popularize this tradition—but the earliest designs were far stranger than you might think. Some featured dark humor, aggressive animals, or unusual images that didn’t exactly exude holiday cheer. 

Even if we don’t want to admit it, many of us fear being buried alive. In the 19th century, this fear was so intense that inventors designed “safety coffins” equipped with bells, flags, tubes, and alarm systems. These devices were intended to allow anyone still alive to call for help before it was too late. 

Speaking of death (we are in Victorian culture, after all), it was sometimes necessary to protect fresh graves from grave robbers, who would actually steal bodies to sell them to anatomy schools. To address this, some communities employed guards, watchtowers, and iron-reinforced coffins to prevent recently buried bodies from being dug up. 

In the 19th century, cemeteries served as public spaces where people would go and sometimes even have picnics. While this practice was partly motivated by a desire to remember the deceased, it also had practical reasons, since cities did not really have many public parks.

The dinosaurs at Crystal Palace, unveiled in 1854, were the world’s first life-size dinosaur reconstructions—and they sparked immense enthusiasm at the time. They were scientific masterpieces intended for the general public, despite the many anatomical inaccuracies they contained. 

Well, this was the 19th century, which meant that modesty was essential. To maintain modesty at all times, the Victorians used what was called a “bathing cabin”—a small cabin on wheels that was pushed out into the sea so that people could change and bathe without being seen. Queen Victoria actually used one at Osborne, and the whole setup was designed to ensure compliance with strict modesty rules.

In fact, you’re not the only one who wants to spend a day in the company of fish. Keeping aquatic plants and animals at home has become trendy enough to give rise to specialty stores, and Victorians were so passionate about aquariums that the very first one was already being advertised as early as 1855.