Coming up on 16th March, 6.30pm in London - Undertakers and Death: A merry dance? at The Last Tuesday Society - my LTS debut! Undertakers, skeletons and an uneasy alliance in the 18th century. #skystorians #history #london
thelasttuesdaysociety.org/exhibition/u...
The Spielman Centre at Arnos Vale cemetery. A neoclassical building with four columns supporting a triangular roof. It is early evening and the moon hangs above the building.
Thanks to everyone who came along to Arnos Vale for my talk The Unquiet Dead! Such a fantastic evening and some great questions too - it’s always so much fun to share my research. Coming up is The Last Tuesday Society on March 16th! #history #skystorians
The unquiet dead A man with a lantern cowers before a towering but rather comical ghost that has long white robes and spindly fingers.
TONIGHT online and at Arnos Vale cemetery in Bristol
My @cendeathsociety.bsky.social research in action for The Unquiet Dead - a lively trip through the unexpected events in 18th cent burial grounds. Tickets available:
arnosvale.org.uk/the-unquiet-...
A tarot card depicting a skeleton with a scythe representing death. It stands amidst skulls and bones.
Death appears in a tarot card with a swishing scythe amidst terrain littered with bones and skulls. From @pittriversmuseum.bsky.social
#skystorians #deathhistory #history
Funeral mute from an undertaker’s trade card. He wears a scarf around him like a sash and holds a pole called a stave in his right hand.
Yes there were professionals hired to perform mournful duties around the bereaved household. Funeral mutes are quite common too - men wearing black standing on the doorstep. Sometimes carrying wooden staves too. This one is from a trade card - the white symbolises the deceased person was unmarried.
A caricature scene of a man in a graveyard being startled by a ghost. He holds up a lantern and looks in horror. Before him is an open grave.
New Talk:
The Unquiet Dead – The lively burial grounds of the 18th century
Wed 25th Feb, 6.30pm
Hybrid talk. In-person at Arnos Vale Cemetery & online.
Join me for a talk on the unpredictable world of 18th century burial grounds - robbers, spectres & revelry.
arnosvale.org.uk/the-unquiet-...
Dr Dan O’Brien points towards a screen featuring a caricature of a patient on the deathbed surrounded by a physician, death and an undertaker
A cartoon in which three undertakers run towards and an old man wearing a red cap. The old man is about to be speared by death, personified as a skeleton.
Thanks to everyone who came along to today’s talk at Christ Church Frome. Brilliant to have such a large audience to share my research with and a really treat to answer some fantastic questions afterwards.
Next - Arnos Vale cemetery 25th Feb
#frome #deathhistory #skystorians
So glad it was an interesting talk - thanks for coming along!!😁
Sat 31 Jan, 11am Christ Church in Frome A Flock of Ravens: The business of death in eighteenth century England.
Free talk tomorrow in Frome!
Sat 31 Jan, 11am
A Flock of Ravens: The business of death in eighteenth century England.
Join me at Christ Church in Frome for a talk about the early undertaking trade and 18th century funerals. No tickets - just turn up! ⚰️
#history #deathhistory #skystorians
A Flock of Ravens The business of Death in eighteenth century England with Dr Dan O’Brien Christ Church Frome Saturday 31 st January 11am
Free talk coming to Frome next weekend!
Sat 31 Jan, 11am
A Flock of Ravens: The business of death in eighteenth century England.
Join me at Christ Church in Frome for a talk about the early undertaking trade and 18th century funerals. No tickets - just turn up!⚰️
#history #deathhistory #frome
Unfortunately not - but there should be some recorded and virtual talks coming in February (inc one with Arnos Vale 😁)
Caricature of an undertaker meeting an elderly man and offering his services. The undertaker is carrying a coffin on his back and holds his hat tightly in his hands. The old man is enraged with his visitor. The old man’s dog is also barking fiercely at the undertaker.
Free talk coming to Frome!
Sat 31 Jan, 11am
A Flock of Ravens: The business of death in eighteenth century England.
Join me at Christ Church in Frome for a talk about the early undertaking trade and 18th century funerals. No tickets - just turn up!⚰️
#history #deathhistory #frome
Molly Conisbee’s book No Ordinary Deaths featuring two skeletons standing alongside a large urn
Many thanks to @profilebooks.bsky.social for this copy of Molly Conisbee’s ‘No Ordinary Deaths’ a social history of death which is this death historian’s sort of thing!! It has undertakers too! More thoughts to come! #skystorians
I am indeed!! My most listened in 2024 too (back in the 0.01% of their listeners) saw them in London too this year!
A round white plate that is inscribed with the message ‘You and I are Earth 1661’
Ok, an object which demonstrates my passion for death history. A fragile Delftware plate titled ‘You and I are Earth. 1661’ It was found in a sewer and went into the collection of @londonmuseum.bsky.social #skystorians
Richard Newton’s An Apparition. A grave robber is startled in a nocturnal burial ground by a tall, white ghost. The two characters are surrounded by the graves of the burial ground.
Richard Newton’s Resurrection Men. Three grave robbers are gathered around a grave when a tall white ghost challenges them with a bone.
Excellent evening talking as part of Goths for Breakfast -‘Night of the Leaving Dead’ looked at the some of the curious things that happened involving both living and the dead. Here we have two of Newton’s cartoons ‘Resurrection Men’ and ‘An Apparition’ from British Museum! #gothsforbreakfast
A night sky full of stars.
Maria O’Brien - 1958 - 2025
My mum died suddenly yesterday evening at home. Despite her chronic RA she always seized the most of life and history and listened to many funerary tales. She always encouraged my studies and my research into death history!
So glad you enjoyed it! It was a brilliant session and the questions / comments were really interesting. Great to see those curious parallels between the past and present.
I will be joining in for this brilliant day of ideas and gothicness - the tickets are going fast but hopefully you can join me for ‘Night of the Leaving Dead’ ⚰️
A cartoon depicting a churchyard. Sat on two tombs are a lawyer, gravedigger, clergyman and physician. They are in the company of a skeleton representing death and all of the characters are having a good time drinking and smoking. A hearse arrives at the distant wall of the churchyard and the driver raises his hat in a salute to the gathered friends.
If you are in Australia or would like some death history to start the day I will be giving an online talk for NDAN about the lively and often busy world of 18th century burial grounds - 7th Feb - 7pm AEDT / 8am GMT Tickets: www.trybooking.com/events/landi...
A view of the Donmar stage from row C of the stalls. In the foreground there are tiny lightbulbs. A haze hangs over the stage which is surrounded on three sides by the seats.
At Donmar Warehouse this evening for Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. A whole performance based on a segment of War and Peace #musicals
A mourning ring. The bezel is decorated with an enamelled skull placed over woven hair and surrounded by diamonds.
Welcoming me to any new Bluesky members and the regulars (you are very much appreciated too!) Here is a one of my favourite mourning rings - a memento mori and an example of eighteenth century mourning ring from British Museum #skystorians
A satirical print from the eighteenth century depicting three grave robbers huddled around a grave. The men look in horror at a tall white ghost that is illuminated by their lantern light. The ghost nonchalantly holds out a bone towards the grave robbers.
I’ll be in this year’s Goths for Breakfast with ‘Night of the Leaving Dead’ - The Impermanent World of the Eighteenth Century Grave at 8pm GMT on 15th Feb.
It’s an online day of Gothic & horror sessions in support of the charity Magic Breakfast!
Tickets at:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/goths-for-...
A tiny gold coffin pendant. The opened lid reveals a tiny skeleton lying within. The coffin is decorated with nails and has three handles on each side.
It’s a coffin! A fine way to grab a death historian’s interest. This coffin pendant is a quite a bit smaller and its pop-out inhabitant is not faithful or a traitor but a memento mori skeleton. #thetraitors
A painting depicting a figure that is half woman and half skeleton. The skeleton half holds a scythe. The living half is dressed in fine clothing with her hair styled. A reminder that earthly wealth means nothing against death.
A winged skull from a wall memorial in St Mary Redcliffe church in Bristol. The skull gazes to the left of the image. It lacks a few teeth.
If you are new Bluesky hello! I’m Dr Dan, death historian and cemetery wanderer. Bringing you items from the material history of death from the early medieval to the present. I’m also quite partial to a Roman tombstone so maybe that needs tweaking… #skystorians
The memorial to John Hart Burges, rector of St John’s Devizes. It is a tall, black monument with a circular finial decorated with the initials IHR surrounded by a wreath. The circular finial is supported by a tall, flared pillar. St John’s church can be seen behind the memorial.
Found myself in a Devizes churchyard today and somehow rather viciously bumped my knee on the ironwork surrounding this impressive memorial to John Hart Burges, rector of St John’s (d.1899) #skystorians
I believe it is ‘son fine’ or ‘I am the end’
A tarot card featuring Death. Death is depicted as a skeleton holding a scythe over one bony shoulder. Death wears the red cape and hat of a cardinal demonstrating death’s dominion over all things.
As a death historian this is what I would call a death card. Death carrying a scythe and wearing a galero and red cape (ferraiolo) of a cardinal. Watercolour on card, varnished. Italian. c.1490 (From V&A) #TheTraitors
A satirical print from the eighteenth century depicting three grave robbers huddled around a grave. The men look in horror at a tall white ghost that is illuminated by their lantern light. The ghost nonchalantly holds out a bone towards the grave robbers.
I’ll be in this year’s Goths for Breakfast with ‘Night of the Leaving Dead’ - The Impermanent World of the Eighteenth Century Grave at 8pm GMT on 15th Feb.
It’s an online day of Gothic & horror sessions in support of the charity Magic Breakfast!
Tickets at:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/goths-for-...
The enamelled lid of an elliptical patch box. It depicts the injured Nelson being supported on deck as the battle of Trafalgar rages in the background. The scene is surrounded by the message ‘off Trafalgar the battle was fought. Nelson’s life the victory bought’
The enamelled lid of a patch box. It depicts a sailor standing alongside a memorial titled ‘in memory of Nelson’. The sailor holds a banner which reads ‘he lives in our hearts’
Finishing my Nelson funeral day with these patch boxes enamelled with mournful sentiments about the fallen Nelson. One imagines the moment of his injury and the other a sailor standing alongside a monument to Nelson. Both from NMM #skystorians
