The Man In The Black Suit Trivia Quiz

Answer: Widow's weeds

Weeds is an old English word meaning garment. Social conventions said that a widow, especially if a member of the middle or upper classes, had to wear a dress of heavy black material. To this was added a black cap if indoors, or a full, dense, heavy black veil if out in public.

They were expected to wear these clothes for anything up to four years, although they could wear it indefinitely if they chose to. Society regarded a minimum of two years of full mourning clothes as a proper period of respect for the departed husband.

A widow was expected to abstain from going out during the mourning period. To be seen, for example, at a ball whilst in mourning would have caused quite a scandal.

Answer: Grey and lavender

Once the period of full mourning was over the widow then went into clothes known as half mourning. This allowed her to dispense with the all black clothing and the veil, which must have been a relief. Subdued colours such as grey and lavender could be worn during this half mourning period.

She could also attend some society events. Whilst a major ball would still have been frowned on something like a dinner party with friends, or a country house weekend with a strictly private dance, would be acceptable.

Answer: Jet

Jet is a naturally occurring material. It comes from rotting wood. It is easy to carve and to polish and became popular during Victorian times as mourning jewellery because of its deep black colour. In England the best jet was found in the Whitby area.

Although often associated with mourning jewellery and the Victorian era, jewellery made from jet was very popular in Roman times. Hair pins, rings, bracelets, brooches and other trinkets have been found in many Roman sites. Much of this was produced in and around the York area.

Answer: Lock of hair

Rings and lockets containing a lock of the deceased's hair were very popular in Victorian times. In addition to this the item was often also engraved with the name of the deceased and the date of his/her death. It was a mark of status to give out these items to friends and relatives.

Although this jewellery hit a height in popularity in Victorian times it was known well before that. Samuel Pepys, the diarist from the time of King Charles II, stipulated in his will that 129 mourning rings should be made and given to people who attended his funeral.

Other types of memorial jewellery included cameos carved in the likeness of the deceased, rings decorated with a skull and lockets containing a miniature portrait of the deceased (usually worn by the widow). Sometimes rings, bracelets and necklaces woven out of the actual hair of the deceased were made, usually for the immediate family.

Answer: The military

For anyone serving in the military whose normal dress was uniform it was acceptable for just a black armband to be worn, as full mourning garb would not be allowed. This also applied to others who habitually wore a uniform for work such as the police. However, when not expected to be in uniform the social rules of mourning dress applied, and they would dress in black.
Children were dressed in black mourning clothes, but never for more than a year, and girls' clothes did not include the black veil. Only girls over 17 years of age were expected to wear the full mourning outfit, under that age a simple black dress was sufficient.

Mourning worn by servants depended to a great extent on how wealthy the household was. A wealthy one would supply the servants with full mourning clothes, a less wealthy one would supply black arm bands.

Answer: The Royal Standard

On the death of the sovereign the next in line to the throne automatically becomes King or Queen. As this means there is always a reigning monarch on the throne the Royal Standard, which is the Sovereign's personal flag, is never flown at half mast. Flags on public buildings or on private flagpoles are flown at half mast, and foreign embassies that fly their own flags would normally take these down to half mast as a mark of respect. Any flags flown on ships in port would also be at half mast.

Answer: One year

When Queen Victoria died in January 1901 the official court mourning period lasted until January 1902. Court mourning is observed by the Royal family, the overseas representatives of the monarch, and all their staff. Instructions on what to wear and what social engagements can and cannot be engaged in are issued.

In the case of Victoria the general public were also instructed to wear full mourning until March 1901, and then half mourning until mid April 1901. It is a misapprehension that the coronation of the next monarch cannot take place until the official mourning period is over.

Whilst there is always a delay of some months this is more down to the planning required and finding a suitable date for overseas heads of state to attend, than the actual mourning period.

Answer: Lamb

The lamb frequently appears in Christian art, mainly because it is a symbol of Christ, as in "Behold the lamb of God". It is found often on the graves of children because it stands for purity and innocence. Victorians were also very fond of the "language of flowers". Daisies, which also symbolised purity and innocence, are also found on the graves of children, along with angels holding a baby in their arms.

Answer: Three months

Whilst a woman was expected to mourn her husband for up to four years, but certainly for a minimum of two years, it was socially acceptable for a man to remarry after three months. Men, it was thought, had greater need of someone to order their household, look after their children and generally make their lives smooth. Additionally, while women were not expected to be seen in public other than at church whilst in mourning, men continued to go to work, and could even socialise in a limited manner.

If a man did remarry in under a year the wedding would be discreet, with only close friends and family in attendance. The groom might still wear his black mourning suit, but discard the black waistcoat for a coloured one.

Answer: Black Ascot

King Edward VII died in May 1910. The Royal Ascot meeting takes place in June. Had the late king not been such a devotee of horse racing the meeting would have been cancelled, instead the organisers decided to go ahead, but asked everyone attending to wear mourning clothes. There were no royal attendees, as the whole royal family and court were secluded away in deep mourning. Other than that the meeting proceeded as it always had. The high fashion and big hats that we have all come to expect to see at Ascot were still there, just in mourning colours.

When Cecil Beaton was designing the costumes for the 1964 film "My Fair Lady" he took his inspiration for the black and white clothing for the Ascot scenes from pictures of the 1910 meeting.