Antique Victorian "Sweet Rest in Heaven" Mourning Motto | Chromolithograph in Original Black Frame | 25" x 12.5"
$225.00
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Every piece is hand-selected, cleaned, and described using over 20 years of vintage experience. When a listing says a piece is vintage, it is vintage. If an item isn't as described, I'll refund you in full, including shipping.
Vintage Condition
Every piece here is pre-loved and often decades old, so expect gentle signs of age and use, like light scratches, softened plating or finish, small marks, or patina. That's part of each piece's history and charm, and nothing will look fresh off a showroom floor.
Anything beyond normal wear, such as chips, cracks, repairs or damage, is always pointed out in the description and shown in the photos. If an item arrives with a flaw I didn't mention, my return policy has you covered.
Return Policy
Changed your mind? Contact me within 30 days of delivery. Items must be returned unworn, in the packaging they were shipped in, and securely packed. Buyer pays return shipping unless the item was not as described. Refunds are issued to your original payment method within 5 business days of receiving the item.
Damaged in transit: Photograph the item and packaging and email me within 5 days of delivery, and I will refund your purchase, including shipping. Photos must show the actual item and packaging as received.
Contact: hello@oddlydarlingvintage.com
Shipping
Ships from Sebring, Florida, within 1–3 business days. Every piece is packed carefully to arrive safely.
Antique Victorian "Sweet Rest in Heaven" Mourning Motto | Chromolithograph in Original Black Frame | 25" x 12.5"
$225.00
When someone in a Victorian household died, the family didn't hide from it. They covered the mirrors, stopped the clocks, and laid out the coffin in the front parlor for the wake. Mottoes like this one were sold through undertakers and catalogs to hang near the casket during the viewing, and many families kept them up afterward as a memorial.
This antique mourning motto reads "Sweet Rest in Heaven" in tall, ornate gold-outlined letters woven through a flowing banner. Around the words are full-blown roses for love, poppies for eternal sleep, and pansies for remembrance, all printed in rich color against a deep black ground. The colors are still strong, which is uncommon for these. It sits in its original ebonized Eastlake-style frame with a gilt inner liner and incised decoration along the bottom.
Beautiful, a little haunting, and a real piece of how the Victorians lived with grief.
- Material: chromolithograph print under glass in an ebonized wood frame
- Motto: "Sweet Rest in Heaven"
- Motifs: roses, poppies, pansies and trailing greenery on a black background
- Era: Victorian, about 1875 to 1895, based on the Eastlake frame style
- Size: 25" W x 12.5" H framed
The back
The back appears original and untouched: two rough-sawn wood backboards held with small old nails, faint stenciled lettering that looks like reused packing-crate wood, and the original twisted wire hanger with remnants of old string. Please see the photo of the back.
Condition
Honest age. The frame has rubs and wear to the black finish, with small losses along the edges and the inner liner. There is also a little white paint transfer rubbed onto the outer edge of the frame along one side. The backboards have a gap where the dark backing paper shows, some splits and a rough corner. Please look closely at all photos, as they are part of the description.
Styling props shown in photos are not included.
This piece ships in an oversized box with careful glass packing. USPS prices large boxes by size as well as weight.