McCan Mausoleum
Gothic
The David McCan mausoleum with its Gothic Revival form and strong verticality is reminiscent of the Albert Memorial in London’s South Kensington district. The death of Queen Victoria’s consort, Albert, in 1861 was one of the major factors in the popularization of the funerary arts. One of Queen Victoria’s first acts of memorialization of Prince Albert was the construction of the Albert Memorial. Albert died at age 42 following a bout of typhoid fever. According to the Queen, their son, Edward the Prince of Wales brought on Albert’s illness. It seems Edward’s unseemly behavior caused Albert to explode in a fit of rage resulting in irreparable damage to his health. So great was Edward’s sin in Victoria’s mind that she never forgave her son for his behavior. Albert’s death threw the Queen into a mourning frenzy. She wore only black clothing for the remaining 40 years of her life; went to bed every night clutching Albert’s nightshirt; kept a portrait of him on the pillow next to her and went on a memorialization rampage. She had numerous memorials, monuments and buildings constructed in his memory. One of the results of Victoria’s huge influence on culture, (after all, an entire era was named after her) was that erecting showy memorials became the fashionable thing to do.
Photos and text © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page
[address cemetery=”Metairie Cemetery” street=”5101 Pontchartrain Boulevard” city=”New Orleans” state=”Louisiana” zip=”70124″]
