Talk: I am the Resurrection and the Life (Village Funeral): The Victorian Way of Death By Dr Helen Frisby

Join historian Dr Helen Frisby to find out about Frank Holl’s intriguing painting ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life (Village Funeral)’ in this free, drop-in talk.

Frank Holl’s 1872 painting ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life (Village Funeral)’ is an example of social realism: an artistic movement which aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working classes as a means of critiquing their underlying power structures. To this end Holl captures a moment in time and grief, as a careworn cortège wends its weary way through a rural churchyard. While his mourners have clearly attempted to assemble the trappings of a respectable funeral, their efforts are obviously, painfully threadbare; a stark reminder that all were (and are) by no means equal in death.

In this talk historian Dr Helen Frisby will explore the story behind this moment; where would these people have come from and where were they going? What customs and rituals would have helped or perhaps hindered them along the way – and what lessons might all of this have about grief and loss for us today?

Helen Frisby obtained her PhD on Victorian funeral customs from the University of Leeds in 2009, and is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for Death & Society, University of Bath. She continues to research, publish and speak widely on the history and folklore of death, dying and bereavement, including appearances on the History Channel and BBC radio. Other research, conducted with the University of Bristol, investigates the work of frontline cemetery staff. Helen is a Council Member and Trustee of The Folklore Society. She has previously taught British and European history at UWE Bristol, and on the University of Bath’s Foundation Degree in Funeral Services.

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