Comfort the Afflicted, John Flaxman, ca. 1790
The French historian, Philippe Ariès, in, Western attitudes toward death: from the Middle Ages to the Present, identifies four historical periods of attitudes towards death in the West:
- Tamed Death (up to the Middle Ages) when death was seen as an inevitable part of life, openly acknowledged;
- One’s Own Death (12th–17th century) a shift to the individual experience, with a focus on spiritual preparation for the afterlife;
- Thy Death (17th–19th centuries)marked by the emotional and interpersonal impact of losing a loved one;
- Forbidden Death (20th century–present)in which death has become taboo, hidden and medicalized.
This exhibit presents sympathy cards from the past 150 years, the final period Ariès demarcates in the evolution of western attitudes toward death. The cards are categorized into four periods since Confederation that reflect the changing economic, political and social changes in Québec society.
Ariès’ categorization prompts two questions:
(1) Can the assumption that we live in a death-denying society be contested?
(2) Has Québec developed a death-denying culture in the 20th and 21st centuries?
Confederation – WWI
Sympathy cards originated in cards that served as invitations to a funeral.
WWI – Quiet Revolution
The sending of sympathy cards became part of mourning and the remembrance ritual.
Quiet Revolution – End of the Millennium
In the 1960s, Québec underwent a significant cultural and political transformation.
Contemporary Times – The Present Day
Within a generation, Québec transitioned from one of the most Catholic societies in the world to one of the most secular.
Ephemera of Memorialization
Ephemera such as sympathy cards offer a tangible link to the lost loved one.
Grief, Mourning and Disenfranchisement
How do sympathy cards challenge the idea of grief as a static, private, or restrictive experience?
The Healthcare Condolence Letter
Expressions of sympathy from the perspective of healthcare professionals.