1. Coffins, Burial Cases and Caskets

2. 17 th and 18 th Century Coffined Burial in America 1750: coffined burial common among upper and middle class subdivision of crafts 1800: “coffin furniture” manufactured in America

3. Readings Question #1 Describe the early American coffins of the wealthy as well as the less fortunate. coffinmaking became a specialty “furnishing undertakers” 1850: “coffin shop”

4. Early Coffin Shops and Coffin Warehouses War of 1812: Western expansion rapid growth and spread of coffin shops coffin warehouses funerals began to emphasize the coffin quality, price and “diversity of purpose” 2/3 of the funeral bill was the cost of the coffin

5. Readings Question #2 List the goals that the coffin and casket makers set for their product.

6. Stone and Metal Coffins 1835: 1 st American patents for coffins made of stone, marble, and cement 1836: 1 st American patent for a metal coffin 1860: patents on coffins made of clay; cement and wood; iron and wood; zinc; iron and glass; iron; cement; marble; and artificial stone 1900: patents for vulcanized rubber, fabricated metals; papier-mache; aluminum; cloth and wood; wood and glass; inner-coffins; celluloid

7. Readings Question #3 Describe the “Fisk Metallic Coffin”. What were some of its claims?

8. Fisk Metallic Coffin The one on the left was disinterred in 1969.

9. Metallic Burial Cases 1850: first introduced to America new mode of coffin construction based on mass production methods stove manufacturers

10. Readings Question #4 What were the 3 primary claims made by the manufacturers of metallic burial cases.

11. Metallic Burial Casket 1859: rectangular shape adopted “ogee design” lighter metal and cloth-covered wooden burial cases and caskets were becoming more popular early 1870’s: 1 st sheet metal casket 1890’s: term “casket” used

12. Cloth Burial Cases 1871: Stein Casket Company wood casket, covered with cloth competition with the curability of the metallic burial cases

13. Readings Question #5 What happened at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876 that influenced the public’s opinion of cloth burial cases?

14. Readings Question #6 Describe the “Style E State Casket”. 1890 Stein merged with the National Casket Company

15. Readings Question #7 Describe the various types of “life signals” that were patented from 1868 – 1882.

16. Readings Question #8 Describe the “coffin torpedo”. What was its purpose?

17. Burial Vaults and Outside Boxes 19 th century: rock, stone, brick or concrete slabs 1890: “sectionals” 1872: coffin-box “rough box” 1900: concrete burial vault introduced