Image Not Available for Diploma
Diploma
Image Not Available for Diploma

Diploma

Object number94.184.2 a,b
Date1914
MediumPaper; Paste board; Satin ribbon
Credit LineGift of Savolskis Funeral Home.
DescriptionDiploma from a college of embalming.Dimensions19 x 23.75 in. (48.3 x 60.3 cm)
SignedBottom, rt.: Howard S. Eckels, Ph.G./James I. Reichard
InscriptionsEckels College/of/Embalming and Sanitary Science/Know all Men by these Presents
Label TextBefore the end of the 19th century, it was customary to have an undertaker come to one’s house to do his work if there was a death in the family. The undertaker would prepare the body and then visitation would occur, all in the home of the deceased. The undertaker would bring an embalming table, other embalming equipment, and makeup to the home to prepare the body. He would also bring along items such as religious statues, special lamps, candlestick holders, a sign-in register, a kneeler, a bed for the deceased, and curtains to serve as a backdrop. All of these items would be used in the visitation. Later, while the family was at the cemetery, the undertaker would put everything away and the house would be returned to its normal state. The frequency of visitations in the home began to decrease around the turn of the century when undertakers organized as a formal business and it became the tendency of more and more people to distance themselves from death. Preparation of bodies and visitation began to take place in actual funeral homes with greater regularity around this time.
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