Angel
An angel on a gravestone is God's messenger and guardian of the dead, often pointing upward or carrying the soul to heaven.
Full angel figures were rare before the Victorian period and became common in the second half of the 1800s. Victorians often made them sexless and dressed them in classical robes; they announce a death or bear the soul up to God.
Their popularity grew from consolation literature, though angel imagery came from Catholic art into largely Protestant cemeteries. Angels with a sword or horn may be Michael or Gabriel. A weeping angel has its own entry.
As seen in a recordGarden or town cemetery, 1850 to 1920
Marble angel pointing upward, on a granite base: Our Darling, Edith M. Wolverton, 1870 to 1888
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Angel." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/gravestone-symbols/angel. Last checked 2026-10-15.