ABSTRACT
People were increasingly dying in hospitals, with their remains transferred directly to the care of an undertaker, distancing family and friends from death and the deceased. During the Gilded Age, industrialists displayed their power and status through conspicuous consumption and opulence. The first is whether the aboveground changes in grave markers that have been so well-documented are mirrored in type and chronology by shifts in coffin hardware types and styles. Taking a holistic approach to mortuary analysis, as described by Davidson, provides a richer understanding of how and why coffin hardware is used in particular ways in particular communities at particular times. Finally, it is critical when looking for patterns or trends within assemblages that the rapid development of the American coffin hardware industry is taken into consideration. This requirement means that time should be used as a relatively tight control in the interpretation of data.
