Lily Hayhoe

 “Mourning's Edge”

Risograph Printing

Black edged stationery was one of many customs in the Victorian era used to openly convey a state of mourning. Edged envelopes indicated to letter carriers and recipients of the important and sad news within. Not only used for death announcements, the bereaved writer would use mourning stationery for 1-2 years after their loved one's death. The thickness of the line was also an important factor as it was dependent on the closeness of the relationship to the deceased, as well as the period of time. 

A thick black edge meant a recent death and early stages of the mourning period. It would gradually become thinner as more and more time passed, until the writer felt able to return to regular stationery. This black and white visual representation of one's grief over the passage of time fell out of favor when more immediate forms of communication became available in the 20th century. 

You are invited to take your own piece of mourning stationery to use as you wish - perhaps write to a loved one you deeply miss. Poet William Cullen Bryant wrote "The Death of the Flowers" upon the death of his sister. This year is the 200th anniversary of its publication.

 Artist Bio

Lily Hayhoe is an Olympia area printmaker and organizing member at Community Print. She often combines a love of nature and antique letterpress equipment in her home studio, Scavengers Press. 

Instagram: @scavengerspress