Funeral dolls, or mourning dolls, were a Victorian mourning custom in the 1800s. They were wax dolls created in the likeness of a deceased infant or child. The purpose of the doll was to offer an alternative to the deceased during the funeral, as most infant and child losses (smallpox, tuberculosis, etc.) caused the body to look disfigured and gaunt. The doll’s realness was enhanced by wearing the clothes of the departed and adorning snips of their hair. To provide comfort and peace to friends and family, the doll would appear to be sleeping. Depending on the manner of death, the doll would sometimes be buried in place of the deceased. The doll was also sculpted in such a way to be easily placed in coffins or at graveside or set up for death/post-mortem photography.
Images courtesy of The Atkinson
IMAGE LINK
The Ghastly Historian 
