The Era that the Winchester Widows represent, 1860-
1900, was a hard life for women on the frontier. There
was the Civil War, there were farming accidents, Indian raids, property disputes, disease, traveling hardships.
Many women found themselves losing those who they held
most dear, be it a brother, sister, child or her husband.

The custom of wearing black to show the loss of a loved
one dates back to the Romans and was believed to ward
off evil spirits, but it was made fashionable in 1861 when Queen Victoria lost her beloved Prince
Albert. Setting a trend, she donned her "widow's weeds" and she remained in mourning for the next 40 years.

Rules for mourning became the norm of society and black
was soon seen everywhere. For women during the Victorian period, mourning attire included every conceivable article of clothing as well as hair accessories, stationery, umbrellas, fans, and purses. Widows were expected to mourn for two years and were allowed to wear grey and lavender only in the last six months of 'half-mourning'. This fashion trend swiftly moved from the green banks of Europe to the dry frontier west of the Mississippi.

So why would this organization take on such a strange tradition and turn it into a parade group? Good question!It is mainly to demonstrate that although women of the west were single and followed traditions, they very often "bucked the norm" and learned to fend for themselves. Defending themselves and hunting food was a top priority and by carrying the Winchester rifle, a woman could learn to get by in a land as rugged as the American frontier. That is the flavor that this club tries to imitate as we ride parades proudly wearing black.

Interesting things about Victorian Mourning

To say that the Victorians had an obsession with death is putting it mildly. They were addicted to death; fascinated by it; entranced by it! Everyone has some sort of morbid interest in death, but to the Victorians, death and the rituals surrounding it were as important to them as the rituals concerning life. This fascination with death followed the Victorians everywhere and they revelled in it as much as they were repulsed by it. It was during the Victorian era that big leaps in medical science were being made. People were now starting to live longer, happier, healthier lives. But everyone knew that death was just below the surface. And everyone from Queen Victoria downwards, was fascinated by the subject. When her husband died, Queen Victoria wore black mourning dress for the rest of her life and she would sleep with a cast of Prince Albert’s hand next to her pillow so that she could hold him as she slept! She insisted that every single day, her husband’s clothes should be laid out, that his breakfast be prepared and that hot water be brought to his room every morning so that he could shave…even though he was already dead!

The queen was also fascinated by seances, psychics, mystics and the paranormal and this craze soon caught on with her subjects. It even became popular starting in the 1850s, to have mourning portraits done! What is a mourning portrait? Have a look below…

A good site to visit regarding the origins of mourning
is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mourning

and some interesting sites on Victorian mourning are:

www.victoriaspast.com/FrontPorch/queenvictoria.htm
www.morbidoutlook.com/fashion/historical/2001_03
_victorianmourn.html
www.victoriana.com/library/harpers/funeral.html

http://scheong.wordpress.com/category/general-history/19th-century/the-victorian-era-1837-1901/