A wicker casket sits in a darkened room resembling a Victorian funeral parlor. Balanced on casket stands and surrounded by floral displays in a corner of the Anaheim museum’s main gallery, this coffin was designed not for burial but for display of the deceased during a home wake, according to Aimee Aul, Education Specialist at Muzeo. It’s just one of many fascinating examples of Victorian mourning customs on view within Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center’s current exhibition, Eternal Mourning: Death & Remembrance in Victorian America, open until October 27, 2024. I recently had a chance to interview Executive Director Kelly Chidester and Education Specialist Aimee Aul about their involvement with this exhibit at the Anaheim Museum and how they found artifacts that explore the story of Victorian death and mourning.