I am in the process of an additional impression that will be one that is not seen at most reenactments.

I will be doing the new roll of the Undertaker/Embalmer.  I have been in contact with a gentleman from Springfield ILL that has sparked my intrest. A Jon Alston aka Dr.T.Holmes.  I will be doing his apprentice as Dr.E.C. Lewis till I get comfortable with this new impression.

This will be right up the road that I am currently traveling. I will be challenging the Arkansas Board of License for Funeral Directors this coming year.  I am still studying for the big test,but will take a break for the holidays.

I will still do a soldier's impression till I am fully ready to do this new impression with everything I will need.

I am still in the process of studying,and ,going over lots of books pertaining to the funeral process of the Victorian era.

I have learned so many things so far.  I have realized that I have just scratched the surface and have a long way to go in order to do this impression right.

I have several sources for ideas including my cousin who owns the Funeral Home here where I live.  That is why I am getting into this field.  I only have one year left till I can retire from my job as a Firefighter......YEA!!  So this will be my new occupation.  Considering I was a Paramedic for 16 years,and have been in the emergency field for 24 years, this will be just another direction to "fall into."

I hope I can post very interesting things (in good taste of course) that many in the reenacting community do not know.

This will be work in process so if you have any questions please give me time to look it up,if I do not know.  I will be needing several items like a canvas sign and bottles.  I need tools of the trade but I have found some short cuts that will work(not taking away from the authenticity)

Sounds interesting. Please post any research you can here as I am sure it will be quite fascinating.

I have been sent some intresting facts after questioning a picture.  I cannot remember but I think that the picture is a Brady,might be a Sullivan,anyway, if you look at the photo of the Undertaker/Embalmer at Gettysburg  

http://www.forensicgenealogy.info/images/drs_and_tent.jpg

you will notice the greenery hanging on the tent. This greenery was not for decoration.  It was to attract insects,instead of them going to the bodies that were at the Embalmer's tent.

The types of greenery that was used were of several varities ranging from Evergreen,Spruce,Balsam to White Pine.
 

I'm curious about the greenery and insects, and posted my observations and questions over on the cw-reenactors forum, but just noticed your post here and would be glad to discuss it here instead.

Briefly, with the common symbolism of cypress, pine, etc. for mourning in the period, due to its picturesque form and  "ever greenness" (implying memories never dying or immortality in the afterlife), and the common mindset of decorating with evergreen boughs, and the fascination with mourning decorations in general, was the real reason really due to insects?

How would one make a case that most embalmers in the period found it more effective than other methods of dealing with insects, and hung it primarily for that reason? Is that primarily why non-embalmers hung it also? What about the planting of the same species in graveyards, where insects presumably weren't a problem?

Edited to add: The reason I ask is that I sometimes portray a doctor, who'd know more than most about embalmers, as well as just being a private citizen who would have decorated a home for mourning. If someone asked about the topic, as it stands now I'd go into all the symbolism and such, and I'm wondering if I should instead say, "It's to deal with the insects."

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net  

--Last edited by hanktrent on 2007-11-22 22:24:39 --

Let me go back and look. I have been reading many differant books including "The History of Funeral Directing" by Habenstine & Laners. It is like studying for that college final that is coming out of several books,and not remembering which book some subject came from.
I haven't studied like this since college which was many years ago, so the brain is saying" I thought you were done with this stuff"
I apologize for the narrow oversite of subject matter.
I read your post on another forum. In response to you answering a question to persons intrested in your protrayal of a Surgeon. I realize the open ended answer that you could give pertaining to my post. I found out that "one" of the reasons for the greenery hanging was so that the greenery would attract the insects instead to the bodies,was because the amount of time the bodies would be out while pre prep, preparation and in the cantainers waiting to be shipped. While I am sure you will find more questions than I have answers at this time,I hope this will be a start. I will be in touch with the Museum in Springfield this next week for further information.