Crape

Crape is a light, transparent gauze woven from raw silk that has been gummed and twisted. It has a crisped, crinkled surface, and in the nineteenth century it was the cloth most closely tied to mourning: an 1858 American encyclopedia calls it “much used in mourning,” and a 1913 etiquette manual says it is “the quality of goods most closely allied with mourning.”

How was crape made?

According to the 1858 encyclopedia, the crisping comes from twist. Silk meant to be “craped” was twisted harder than silk for smooth crape, especially in the warp, the lengthwise threads. Taken from the loom, the cloth was steeped in clear water and rubbed with a piece of wax. The stuff came originally from Bologna, was later made chiefly at Lyons, and by then in various parts of Great Britain.

How was crape worn?

In the deep mourning described by S. Annie Frost in 1870, a woman wore plain crape collar and cuffs, a crape bonnet and a long, thick crape veil, with folds of crape the only trimming on the dress. Black silk trimmed with crape followed, and in half-mourning crape was dropped. Men wore a band of crape on the hat, deeper for a closer loss. The full system is described in Black, and Not Just Black.

Why was it criticized?

Frost warned that “poor crapes or woolens in black, wear miserably.” An 1878 compilation called the thick crape veil “prejudicial to health,” and a writer of 1892 charged it with cost and “poisonous dyes”; neither claim is tested here. An 1895 manual says the black veil was falling gradually into disuse except for brief periods of mourning.

Sources

1. Encyclopaedia Americana, vol. 4, Boston, 1858. Library of Congress (digitized book)
2. The Art of Dressing Well (1870), S. Annie Frost. Library of Congress (digitized book)
3. The Etiquette of To-day (1913), Edith B. Ordway. Library of Congress (digitized book)
4. Sensible Etiquette of the Best Society (1878). Library of Congress (digitized book)

See also

• Half-mourning
• Jet

Read more

• Black, and Not Just Black: Victorian Mourning Dress

Last updated October 14, 2026 · Markdown