Test 2- Dev. of Coffins, Burial Cases, and Caskets. Flashcards
“Winding Sheet”
Early burial methods
-wrapping remains in blanket of cerecloth and placing remains uncoffined in a grave
Colonists and coffins
- did not stockpile coffins; rather made them “at need”
- hardwood (fancy for wealthy) and softwood available
Octagon shape
-1650 to 1820- eight sided shape of coffins
Embargo Acts of Rev. War and War of 1812
Am. craftsman forced to enter industrial revolution in northeast.
-1820 coffin furniture as well as coffins were produced entirely in America
John L. Dillon Coffin and Shroud Warehouse of NY
after War of 1812 coffin shop mass produced at wholesale level
Coffin after 1812
primary expense of funeral bill
Industrial revolution-furnishing undertaker
brought about the furnishing undertaker who turned simple coffin shop into coffin warehouse. Mass production
- Rise in furnishing undertaker- middle class would spend money = concept of supplier
- sexton, liveryman had to rely completely on furnishing undertaker for supply
Billing
prior to 1929 the Colonial period was itemization;since stock market crash billing moved to package deals
Casket
end of 19th century
-4 sided casket replaced 6 sided wooden coffin
goals of furnishing undertaker to sell product to middle class through retail undertaker
- their product should have increased utility-usefulness
- should reflect a persons station in life
- have preservation capability long enough to have a wake and funeral service (ice tray caskets)
- should provide protection against grave robbers and body snatchers, and protect remains from forces of nature
- should have eye appeal, be beautiful and artistic
James A. Gray
1st American patent on a metallic coffin
John White
credited for cement burial vault development
Unsuccessful material for coffins
rubber, celluloid, papier mache, aluminum, glass, zinc, iron, baked clay
Fisk Metallic Coffin
- heavy
- burial case
- anthropoid shape
- falsely claimed bc it was airtight it would prevent putrefaction. it deterred decay but encouraged putrefaction.
- airtight
Claims of manufacturer about FISK
- lighter in weight bc of form fitting design
- glass porthole to view deceased face
- airtight design to protect body (false claim)
W.M. Raymond Company of Long Island
initially with Fisk in partnership manufactured the case
Crane Breed & Co.
acquired manufacturing rights from Fisk and Raymond and by 1854 were in control
-falsely claimed the mummy case would preserve dead bodies
Promotion and success of Fisk Style cases
- Civil War- mass numbers of dead needing a mass produced coffin
- Good Transportation by steamboat and railway made the cases accessible to all parts of country
- Good promotion by undertakers in the newspapers
- Notable leaders were interred in these cases ex John Calhoun
Designs used in manufacturing Fisk
-Bronzed case line- cast iron with bronze finish in either ornamental or cloth covered (high end and most popular)
Ogee Design
front hinged perimeter drop down design by A.C. Barstow. Simplified Fisk style and used less space.
William Cooley
Claims to be the 1st to dev. straight sided coffin and to use term “casket” (chest or coffer)
Zinc Shoulder casket
crane and Breed streamlined coffin
Casket
by 1890 the term coffin was replaced by the term casket
Samuel Stein
cabinet maker, produced glass and wood caskets.
- He was allowed to display his cloth covered caskets at the Philadelphia Centennial
- style E state casket- buried U.S. Grant
- success of style E state casket brought about a merger in 1890 with National CAsket Company
Life Signal Coffin
- aka Fraud Coffin
- based on premature burial
- spring loading lids, signal bell, electric alarm systems eta
- -arterial embalming at the end of the nineteenth century ended life signal caskets
Christian Eisenbrandt
-Baltimorian
1843 earliest patent of life signal casket
Resurrectionist
-one who stole bodies from graves to sell to anatomist
caused the dev. of…..
-Clover Coffin Torpedo- casket with device with an explosive that would go off if tampered with
Materials used for vaults
1-sectional- concrete slabs of various lengths sealed together to form oblong box.
2-brick and slab- concrete slab with brick and mortar sides and a top slab of concrete
3-slate vault- large squares or slabs of slate with tongue and groove end fittings bolted together
4-brick and slate- popular in eastern cities; slate bottom, brick and mortar sides and slate top slab
Andrew Van Bibber
-invented burial safe- protected against resurrectionists
George W. Boyd
-concerned with number of grave robberies developed a design that would dominate metallic vault styles up to the present
End seal metallic vault
made like a safe deposit box with a hinged end panel (mailbox)
1945
cemeteries demanded the minimum outside box to ba at least a concrete grave liner
1972
Up until 1972 Funeral Homes sold vaults exclusively since 1972 many cemeteries now sell concrete vaults
concrete grave liner
cement box that has a top but does not seal. 2 large holes in the bottom for water drainage and supports the earth above it
Top selling caskets
ornate wooden caskets have dominated up until WWII. Since then metal casket has taken the lead
