Secluded inside the elegant Camron-Stanford House, a Victorian mansion seated on the banks of Oakland’s Lake Merritt, Will and Alice Camron mourned their daughter, Grace, who died at home just after her second birthday.

That sad time was in 1877, but a visit to the historic house today brings the period back to life through the new exhibit, “Morbid Desire,” exploring the 19th century perspective on death in displays of art, costumes and historic details, plus special tours and events beginning Oct. 15.

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“The exhibit is not really about death, it’s about the living and how they honored departed loved ones,” says Jean Wieler, a volunteer on the exhibit team.

Photographer and museum volunteer Reenie Raschke adds, “This project has been captivating to work on. Some of our discoveries are funny or weird, but mostly it’s been very comforting to study the reverence our ancestors had for each other.”

Indeed, life expectancy in the Victorian era was a little more than 40 years, making mourning rituals a common occurrence. The upper level of the house — the last of the beautiful 19th-century mansions that once surrounded Lake Merritt — has been decorated as if the Camrons are still grieving for little Grace. The lower-level exhibit galleries will display Victorian mourning costumes and accessories, including a special display of memorial jewelry provided by The Sacred Order, purveyors of antique jewelry. Many of these objects will be on sale during the exhibit.

The exhibit opens Oct. 15 and runs through Nov. 5 with guided tours at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Sundays. Regular tour rates are $5 for adults. Additional fees apply for special events. The Morbid Cinema event on Oct. 21 will feature the new documentary, “Rituals of Remembrance” by local filmmakers Maggie Simpson-Adams and Elizabeth Sher. And the Morbid Evening event will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 14. It’s an interactive gathering lit by candlelight and fortified with liquid spirits and gourmet snacks in which guests will attend a séance and “meet” Mrs. Camron to pay their condolences and tour the new exhibit.

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Space for all events is limited, and advance purchase of tickets is recommended.

Camron Stanford-House Museum: 1418 Lakeside Drive, Oakland; (510) 874-7802, www.cshouse.org.