As a ritual that deals with the issues of human life and death, and that embodies complicated cultural implications, funerals have been an important material to refer to in considering the spiritual life as well as the social aspects of contemporary people. The present study on the 19th-century Western funerals is significant in that current funerals have been formed and changed from the ancient practice in a long historical background. The funeral patterns in 1890 to 1910, the period when reformatory movements started to appear in the custom concerning death, have been changed and fixed to be the current funeral custom. The range of the present study is limited to the characteristics of enbalmment, funeral processions and ceremonies, as well as the costumes for the mourning period. The research method employed in the study is the review of literature concerning death and funeral rituals, previous studies, domestic and international technical literature, and photographs or paintings.