A Decade in Black
Sarah Dominick's Mourning Cap
Between 1888 and 1898, Sarah Dominick (née Craig) (1851-1946) may have wondered why death visited her family so often. In that sad decade five of Sarah’s close family died ─ her stepfather, father-in-law, mother-in-law and two sisters. In keeping with the death ritual of her time, Sarah would have packed away her more colourful outfits to wear mourning dress.
Along with the black cap, made from silk and linen, with ribbon ties and ornamental bows of velvet cotton, Sarah would have worn a black dress, shoes and gloves throughout her decade of grief. In the summer heat of Cobar in western NSW, she must have found black clothes oppressive.
Wearing black following the death of a loved one began with the death of Prince Albert (1819-1861) when his widow, Queen Victoria (1819-1901), adopted mourning dress which she continued for the rest of her life. Being British in origin, the tradition was adopted in Australia and did not change until Victoria herself died in 1901.
During ‘deep mourning’ – the time immediately after a death – only black was worn. As time passed after each death and Sarah was in ‘ordinary’ mourning, it was acceptable to add a white trim to her dress, decorative trims on her cap and wear ornate jewellery. She probably wore this exquisite mourning cap during this period because it is decorated with lace, beads, sequins and floral applique. Finally, Sarah entered ‘light’ mourning and could wear lilac, gray or purple.
Overtime the social rules around mourning gradually relaxed, beginning during WWI when so many Australian families were grieving. The cap is a visual reminder of how the death rituals of settler-Australians have changed. It also tells us that Sarah who, despite living in remote parts of NSW for most of her life, followed society’s mourning dress rituals. The cap held such strong memories for Sarah that she carried it to the Lightning Ridge opal fields, where she passed away in 1946 at the grand age of ninety-five.
