In Western societies, the use of black clothing for funerals is believed to date back to the Romans, although white was also used.
As Queen Victoria mourned her husband wearing black for the remainder of her life, the fashion was followed by widows at the time.
Curiously, after a conversation with her friend the poet Lord Tennyson, Queen Victoria requested a white funeral for herself: she wore her wedding dress and commanded the use of white horses, her coffin was covered with a white pall and the predominant colors were white, purple (used in Catholic countries as well), and gold.
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Image: The Royal Mausoleum in Frogmore, built to house the tombs of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
