In Mary Barton (1848), the seamstress sewing black mourning clothes is referred to as being engaged in 'blackwork', while the manufacturing company, the Courtaulds, held a monopoly on crapes from the onset of funeral practices […]

Gothic tales

A hearthside rug.

The Communist army in Huaiyang, for instance, worked out a defense agreement with a village pact in neighboring Taikang county to jointly protect themselves against puppet troops and local bandits.