The invention of the daguerreotype in 1839 made portraiture much more commonplace, as many of those who were unable to afford the commission of a painted portrait could afford to sit for a photography session. This cheaper and quicker method also provided the middle class with a means for memorializing dead loved ones.
These photographs served less as a reminder of mortality than as a keepsake to remember the deceased. This was especially common with infants and young children; Victorian era childhood mortality rates were extremely high, and a post-mortem photograph might be the only image of the child the family ever had. The later invention of the carte de visite, which allowed multiple prints to be made from a single negative, meant that copies of the image could be mailed to relatives.
The earliest post-mortem photographs are usually close-ups of the face or shots of the full body and rarely include the coffin. The subject is usually depicted so as to seem in a deep sleep, or else arranged to appear more lifelike. Children were often shown in repose on a couch or in a crib, sometimes posed with a favorite toy or other plaything. It was not uncommon to photograph very young children with a family member, most frequently the mother. Adults were more commonly posed in chairs or even braced on specially-designed frames. Flowers were also a common prop in post-mortem photography of all types.
The effect of life was sometimes enhanced by either propping the subject’s eyes open or painting pupils onto the photographic print, and many early images (especially tintypes and ambrotypes) have a rosy tint added to the cheeks of the corpse.
Later examples show less effort at a lifelike appearance, and often show the subject in a coffin. Some very late examples show the deceased in a coffin with a large group of funeral attendees; this type of photograph was especially popular in Europe and less common in the United States. [Source]
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Filed under: Bizarre | 105 Comments
The forth photo from the bottom is creepy… whats with the person standing behind the chair? Is that some kind of double exposure?
About the time these types of pictures were popular, a technique called “spirit photography” was also popular. Used to make it appear as if a ghost or spirit is present. It is an interesting picture.
I could kill myself for not keeping a book that I found many years ago, that was about spirit photography and how to do it. The images were amazing. My favorites were of a woman sitting on a couch with the heads of JFK and Martin Luther King hovering above (two separate photos). This was before imaging on computers was possible.
To me it looks like the “ghost” is the same as the person in the photo. I believe what may have happened to be they started to take the photo with the corpse in one pose from one angle then decided to take another one from another angle instead, but photography equipment being expensive, had to use the same photographic film and the first exposure had already started to set in.
Joseph-
The picture of the boy appears to be his twin, sometimes when parents would lose one of their twins they would have the other twin stand next to them or behind them, they would do the same with siblings.
pdxstargazer82: it is actually a fake ghost made by an early photographer who told people he could photograph ghosts in his post-mortem work. The post-mortem pic is real though.
How old are you REALLY? You seem to know a lot of stuff… xD
Belated happy birthday to you, btw.
>#2’s creepy. are his eyes open?
.#9 (the baby sleeping on what seems to be a leaf) looks like an artwork or something. Hmm, I want a post-mortem picture too!!!
I am 35 today
oh, so it isnt belated then. HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! ^^
Those old style coffins add to the creepiness of the photos. It’s hard to think that these people are dead in the pictures, they look like they’re sleeping.
I agree – they are very spooky looking – especially when the corpse seems to not fit particularly well!
These are very sad, especially the young children. How on earth did they get the live siblings (the very young ones) to hold still long enough to get such clear pictures? I don’t know any small children that can stay still for that long!
I think kids in the Victorian times were used to being much more self-controlled than modern kids who are usually allowed to move about as they please. I am not sure I would be able to stand still sufficiently long for one of those photos!
Child abuse was legal back then… those kids had the fear of god in them. our society has become pussified
im not sure how to take this post. i certainly do not consider these photos to be classic child abuse. society was different then, death was looked upon in a different , more practical manner than it is today. it was an all too frequent occurence. and i hope you arent suggesting that an abused child is “pussified”. i dont understand the reason for your statement if you arent. child abuse has nothing to do with “the fear of God”. its about the fear of a violent parent.
Child abuse does not make one tough except in the way that they can tolerate more abuse than the regular person. Why this would be a good thing I do not know.
What it does though is to teach the child that violence is a viable solution to problems, how to lie and how to be very sneaky. And to have no respect for older larger people except that they are physically stronger.
Do you really think this is a good thing? I guess everyone has an opinion.
I think these kids were probably exposed to death much more than children are today. It was common to have the wake at the house. They may have been a bit creeped out but may have had viewed many other family members in a similar setting.
Sam, I sure as hell hope you don’t have kids. Yes children were “brought up by the strap”, but not every child was abused, then or now. As for a fear of God(?) My God is a loving god, a forgiving god, a god who loves me no matter how much my father (biological) beat the hell out of me, and oh boy, did he ever. I didn’t think I would ever forgive him, but with time, and a whole lot of prayer, I realized he was just doing the same thing his parents did to him. Not all children are abused, not all parents are child abusers. You may want to get down on your knees at this point and either ask god to forgive you, your parents, or whatever set of circumstances which led you to make such a statement. All you really have to do is ask for understanding and compassion. He is really amazing at that. Try it. I did, and guess what, it worked. In His grip. Tracy
They look like they’re only sleeping. That little boy in the rocking chair is one of the creepiest pictures I’ve ever seen though. Eeegh. DX
I agree – the addition of the color to the image makes it even worse! He looks like a demonic doll (though I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead I guess).
We live in a society so detached from real death, from honest grieving that to see people who may truly have attempted to make some sense of it, to find some peace therein makes us feel weird and causes us to label their behavior as strange. Peace be with those who have left us and peace to those who have lost loved ones. Respect grief. Honor yourself by grieving.
I agree with the act of honoring grief. How can one truely recover to a state of peace without allowing themselves to go through the process. In our current times are are expected to just keep on as though nothing happened even in the face of death. It is almost as though some are ashamed of having deep feelings. Complex feelings and rituals are part of what makes us human. In recent years American society has been stepping further and further away from rituals.
I agree as well – which is why I love to cover subjects that deal with mortality. Memento mori means just that- remember death.
Wow….all those dead children. That makes me so sad. Maybe it’s just me, but with all the cost of a funeral (because I’m sure they were never cheap), this expensive photograph just adds to the financial pain. Not to mention that the only picture the people left alive have is of their loved one, already dead.
I’m glad this didn’t transfer over to modern times (despite all the advances in photography). Can you imagine getting all dressed up to go pose for a picture with your deceased whomever?
I absolutely agree that I am glad it is part of the past and not the present. But it certainly does give us another insight into a particularly interesting time in Western history – the Victorian age.
quess, it is not practical taking picture back then. When you loose someone you maybe thinking of expenses and pain. But look at them….. even though they loose someone they are still trying to have their decease family member on their picture.. it looks like family picture….
i really love the picture of a dead wearing blank in a couch taking picture of her half body. it is really interesting and beautiful.
I’m very drawn to memento mori…as creepy as they sometimes seem. In the days when this practice was commonplace…to NOT have a post mortem photo would have been more unusual than having one.There is a company in the US “Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep” (I think they’re in Colorado) and they are a non’profit that takes photos of babies who have just died, for parents who, otherwise, have nothing to remember their child.
#24: why is there a half coloured woman behind the boy?! ghost?!
As recently as the mid to late 1970’s I had older relatives who would photograph the deceased at family wakes, funerals and visitations. My siblings and I were always horrified by it, I guess because we didn’t understand that at one time it was considered normal and acceptable. Of course, they didn’t move the corpse about but only photographed it lying in the coffin. I sometimes wonder who has those photos now.
As eerie and creepy as this seems, it is just a very creative, workable solution to the technological hindrances of the time. Makes sense if you just put yourself in their shoes.
I don’t see these as eerie or creepy, but sad, especially the ones with the children. I cannot imagine being made to pose with my recently deceased brother or sister, or with a family photo. I just think of the parents who have to hide their grief to create maybe the only photo they will ever have of their child.
And maybe the only photo of the families also. Photography in Victorian times was relatively rare and expensive. I think that is why they were always posing with the dead.
i have both your websites bookmarked! ugh…i think I’m becoming obsessed hehe
i find number # 9 as a resting angel , so sad so many dead children ,it find this practices extremely creepy but on the other hand whis will be the only memory of your dead children
In the early 1940s my aunt took the only photo of her newborn son in his coffin. Decades later this photo and one she took of my grandfather scared the bejeesus out of me.
In the 1980’s I threw the only hysterical tantrum in my life and said that she would not EVER take a picture of my brother in his coffin and add him to her morbid collection.
Was she taking them for reasons of morbidity or for memories? I know some people do still have a photo taken of a stillborn baby as there are no others.
With her son it was the only photo or even evidence of his existence as she had no other children. My own horror at her pictures was lessened when I understood the almost visceral need for a connection to your child when they have died. It was ALL she had.
I have a friend overseas who sent a select few of us pictures of his son after his birth. Unfortunately the baby was stillborn. Those of us who were sent the pictures, who he allowed to grieve with he and his family, were actually honored to be part of his healing. My family also has a private collection of the last moments before our loved ones were interred. For us these are not morbid but merely a way to remember. The memory of a person’s death is just as valid and just as important as the memory of their life.
when my mom passed in ‘84, her family came from Newfoundland for her funeral. They asked me to take photographs, I just couldn’t. I think the practice is morbid but I can understand why people in earlier times would have it done, they didn’t get to have “Kodak moments” the way we do today…
You are right about kodak moments – most people these days are photographed a LOT – it really is unnecessary for us to take photos of the dead now.
Jfrater- Just an Idea but is there any way to number the images? Just think it would make commenting individual images easier.
Yes – I will do that in future. Thanks for the suggestion
These are fascinating. They make me think of a funeral I went to a few years ago; the funeral home had webcams set up. If I remember correctly, there was one which would show the corpse and one which would show the room and visitors (from the corpse’s perspective, I guess). They said that they still did not use them that often, but they did upon occasion. The deceased’s family could request either one or both of the cams be turned on, and they would be given a password to supply to relatives or friends who for either geographic or health reasons could not attend in person. I was a bit taken aback at first, especially by the one focused on the corpse, but after I thought about it I realized that it was probably used to have one last view of someone that had not been seen in a while and would not be seen again. (The funeral that I was at was not on streaming video, just for anyone who might be curious.)
Happy birthday, jfrater!
Wow – that really sounds much worse than the photographs here! And thanks for the birthday wishes
i find these photos fasinating and sad it shows a wonderfull insite into the short
life span ,especialy in small children and infants also the young age of most of the people i belive they had a better understanding of death than us we have a stiff upper lip view now of death we should be more relaxed as they were
Hi! Thanks for this article. I find it very interesting. I must give you some props for finding all these photos which are really bizarre but at the same time, very interesting. I find some of the photos creepy, like the woman in the black dress laid on the white (is it a tabletop?) with her husband standing. Very sad about the kids – especially those twin babies. I agree with one of the posters who said it’s a good thing these photos didn’t carry on to modern times and that person who said something about these photographs being very costly and to have only one photo taken of the dead relative.
Anyway, good post and I’ll be checking your site often. Thanks!
There is a group at Flickr that has only these kinds of photos. I was there months ago and looked at all of them. I cant find it now and its bothering me.
I find these fascinating.
I have two children in heaven (one stillborn and one miscarriage) and I took lots of photos of them.
I am sorry to hear about your loss. I have seen a website where a photographer does post-mortem photography for hospitals for that very reason.
Jamie – I, too, love old photographs. I always head straight to them in any antique stores I enter. When I was very sick from cancer, I spent a lot of time (and money, unfortunately) on EBay looking for old photos. I have a collection of people with their dogs, and a collection of children in goatcarts. Now, thanks to you, I want to start a collection of memento mori… I tried Ebay, but there were none I could afford, so I have it as a saved list – they will notify me by email each time a new one comes in. Thanks a lot for starting me on a new, very expensive hobby! Maybe you’d like to chip in a bit? No? Well, hmmph…
BooRadley: I was actually thinking about seeing whether I could buy some as well.
Hey you two!
It’s hard enough to determine the fakes from the authentic in person if someone doesn’t know what to look for and it’s even harder online. Auction houses and galleries are your best bet (although they jack up the price even more there so that everyone gets a cut). iPhotoCentral.com is one of the few places online that I’d trust because it seems fairly legit – basically like a middle man between the buyer and an established art gallery (but that also means the price is inflated even more). I haven’t seen a lot of memento mori photos there, though. I like to look at what they have to offer even though there is no way I could spare that kind of cash, lol. Your best bet to find “cheap” (because these’ll always be expensive) memento mori photographs would be going to a Photo Convention, Photo Fair or Trade Show. I looked around and there’s one in London on September 6th. Everyone, it’s time for a road trip! or rather, plane trip, lol.
Here’s a decent article on determining a fake:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/tips/historicphotos.html
the baby ones are sad
The boy in the rocking chair has eyes painted on his eyelids. Not an uncommon practice.
And I think photo #2 might as well.
I find these photographs intriguing. When my mom died in 1990 my sister took a picture of her laying in the coffin. Several months later I was going through my pictures and came across it. It literally frightened me to where I screamed. My mom died of cancer and lost a lot of weight because of the disease and when she died she didn’t look like what I remembered her looking like. Now I have that picture burned in my mind. I now wish my sister hadn’t taken the picture, or at least I wish she hadn’t given me a copy. It isn’t how I want to remember my mom.
By the way Jfrater, thanks for starting another page. I am so hooked on both sites.
First off congrats on another great website. People may be surprised to know that this still happens today. I am in the last year of medical school (in the US) and while on my OB-GYN rotation I was involved in assisting the premature delivery of twins, one of whom died shortly after birth. I then assisted one of the nurses in the process of preparing the infant body and birth and death cerficates. What is done is the body is cleaned. Plaster foot and hand molds are then made. After this the infant is dressed, posed and photographed using a disposable camera. The molds and camera are then given to the family and the pictures are developed at their discretion. The process sounds kind of macabre but in reality is quite touching. One experience I will never forget.
what I don’t get is why in every picture the mouth is closed – their muscles should be completely relaxed.
Undertakers used to push a needle with string/wire through the gums above the top set of teeth and back out through the bottom set, pull the jaw shut and then seal the lips with a sealant. We still seal lips today.
Boy would I love a chance to pick your brains….
Lee, thanks for your input- I’ve got a great respect for the work you all do, and would like to know more- is there a good site that tells (not neccessarily shows) procedures- especially the changes historically?
People take pictures of dead people all of the time, but these old ones are so compelling that I just have to look and look again. Imagine a grief with no distraction, where one day bleeds into another. Even though the survirors have passed on, I still feel for them.
I think that the last picture in color is of brothers or twins where the survivor is picture with the deceased.
oh man #18 is the creepiest. looks like the kid is goona jump out at you!
Its just amazingly sad how like half of the pictures have children either deceased or posing with some dead. Traumatizing…But the little angels look like they are in a peaceful slumber.
I don’t know English equivalent but Russian – ПИЗДЕЦ!!!!!!!!
I don’t understand why some people think the practice is wrong. I find these to be a unique way to deal with a terrible situation. Death is a part of our human experience. Even children can begin to understand that. It’s sad, but it’s real.
For myself, I wish I had a picture of a bother of mine who passed away. The days after his death were such a blur. I wish I could remember that time more.
That’s just me, I guess.
Nope it is not just you, a lot of us feel exactly the same way…
No, you’re not the only one- as Americans we’ve so sanitized death that most people on earth wouldn’t recognize it- videos- complete with soundtracks and sparkles- not of the deceased *deceased* kinda like a movie so you can skip the grief…odd.
I actually find momento mori quite romantic- the expression of love for someone you’ve lost, the photo of the beauty that was- especially with children/infants.
There are exactly two things that every single person on earth has in common; birth and death. Why not have photos of them?
I’ve never known what a child in a coffin looks like until now. In some ways I wish I didn’t click on this page…
These pics are full of evil.
The bodies of the dead are no longer temples of the Lord but merely hollow shells awaiting infestation by demons (not so-called bacteriumsas the smart alec scientists pretend these days).
It has always been well known that bodies which lay unburied or unburied in holy ground are infected with disease causing demons which then escape and infect the living tissue of healthy people – this is why cremation started because diesease demons are killed by the purifying effects of holy fire.
Burial merely hides the evil spirits and releases them when new graves are dug.
It is no coincidence that most ghosts (evil spirits looking for a gullible human host) are seen in grave yards or where killers have hidden bodies in unconsecrated ground.
i think it is interesting that you say these pictures are “full of evil” and that the bodies are “awaiting infestation by demons”. you clearly are out of your mind.
these pictures are simply a way for those of us who don’t take pictures of our dead to understand why those in that time period would do that.
i think these photos are beautiful and haunting all at once. i would love to see more. i understand how some people would think it is a morbid practice, but for that time period it made sense. look at #11. it was rare for that many family members to be able to get together at one time, so a picture was a way to commemorate the opportunity, not to mention to remember the one who was deceased.
Uhh, just what century is this? Seriously, such superstitious nonsense might have been acceptable belief several hundred years ago, but these days it’s a sign of mental illness.
They are merely the remains and no more awful than a seashell.
ok kilker or what ever your name is, how dare you stand in judgement of anyone who chooses to preserve a final memory.I don’t know what is wrong with you, but I’d bet it’s hard to pronounce. You can’t spell either. Go buy a dictionary, or better yet, I’ll mail you a dollar, and maybe you could buy yourself a clue. You sure do look on the sunny side of life don’t you?
Oh alec, by the way there are ways you can block certain websites now. Get the 411 on this at your nearest personal computer. You should also consider teaching your children,if God forbid you have any, a core set of values that they can live their lives by. Take that you judgemental creep.
Oh and what, Tut tut were you smoking, drinking or snorting when you wrote your innermost interpersonal thoughts? You do know that sherm stick is illeagal in every state . I’ll pray for you tonight, maybe.
I have wondered about these pictures since I watched that movie The Others. Its weird to me to see the pictures of adults but the kids I can understand. I have a daughter who was stillborn and someone came to the hospital and took pics for me, but didn’t send them to me until I was ready and asked for them. Now I have one in a frame on my entertainment center. It helps a lot to have that picture because I didnt get any time with her at all and it has really helped me heal from it. The old pictures are kind of creepy though, I wouldn’t even let my then 5 year old go to the funeral, or see her. I would think it would definitely not be a good experience for a little kid.
My daughter noticed that the living people in the photos- especially the first one- are kind of fuzzy while the dead person is in sharp focus. We are guessing that is because the living are moving every so slightly while the film is exposed but the dead are not moving at all. Creepy.
If there is a person that knows about old time photography maybe they could comment on that theory….
That’s the gist of it. These memento mori are dagguerotypes and depending on the type of chemicals used and light available, it can take between 15 minutes to an hour (sometimes more in low lighting) to develop. The long exposure time tends to blur things that move even a little bit. That’s why many people (living or dead) would be strapped up to metal bracings to help maintain their posture.
http://listverse.com/2009/01/13/top-10-incredible-early-firsts-in-photography/
Item #3 in this list looks like a photograph of an empty street corner in Paris. In actuality, it was a busy sidewalk but the exposure time was so long that the only person to “stick” was the gentleman getting his shoes polished. He’s in the lower left corner of the image.
This is very sick. Just imagine if some necrophiliac was looking at these pictures it would give them a sick thrill.
Even worse if it was apaedophile necrophiliac who might want to find more examples of this twisted pornography.
The world is full of frightening and dangerous people and the internet needs tighter control to prevent such pictures being taken.
The governments of the world should unite in tracking down the monsters who made these perverted images and the perpertrators pay dearly for their degrading and animal lust for death.
You know, melly, there are companies which will provide your medications to you at reduced cost so you don’t go without them for months at a time. You and tuttut might consider looking into that.
A dear friend of mine chose to carry an anencephalic fetus to term. It died in utero at 35 weeks. When preparing for the possibility, our circle of friends, knowing how much she had wanted this pregnancy and the pain she was in, got together and arranged for an infant post-mortem photographer to prepare and photograph the body of her baby. The photographer and her assistant were so very nice, very professional, quiet and competent. After the delivery, they washed and dressed the body, put a little knit cap on the head, and took the only photos my friend would ever have of her daughter. It took a while, but eventually my friend was able to look at the photos, and the little hand and feet molds. They couldn’t even bury the body because my friend and her husband had unselfishly donated the body for scientific study into anencephaly and associated defects. Those photos and molds were the only tangible memory they would ever have of the baby they had waited and hoped for.
For some people, memento morti are creepy and horrible. For others, they’re the only image they’ll ever have of a loved one. It’s not for us to judge others’ grief.
So are you saying that all pictures of living children are also sick because a pedo may look at one and get a sick thrill? And to take it one step further, all photos if anything, humans, animals, even shoes are sick because someone somewhere may have a fetish about the particular subject?
If you look for evil, I am sure you will find some.
You know what, if you tried to be smarter, most people would try to be nicer. Where do you get off on ranting about these very seminal moments in these folks lives? Oh yeah, you can’t spell worth a tinkers damn either mr smartie britches.
It takes a pretty perverted person to overlook the actual motives behind these pictures and focus on the weirdos out there. You want them to win? I mean, I’m sure there are necrophiliacs out there, but a pedophile necrophiliac can’t be part of a really big club. And these photos are not common. Also? The people in them are dead. So….Um, you know, I think I’ll make a list of things that deserve, shall we say, more immediate concern.
I am a modern day funeral director/CMT/Emblamer and certified medical examiner and I am currently re teaching my class on post mortem photography or as earlier stated memento mori. If any one has any questions regarding any of these photo’s I just might be able to help. and Leefuneraldirector is correct we still seal lips, if we cannot get hands to stay folded we often glue the fingers to together or sometimes under pre-mature circumstances we sew them together, Eye caps are places under the eye lids to make a more “natural” state known as you can see in some of these photo’s there eyes look worn/glass like/or non exsistent that is becuase back then they did not use eye caps. You can further questions or a discussion with me at Whitefangluvr050@aol.com I know a childish adress but i loved the movie to much LOL
Another thing that is sad about these photos is that even the adults who have passed away do not look particularly elderly. It’s quite a haunting reminder of the life span and mortality back in the Victorian era.
Yes, their lifespan was incredibly short back then you were lucky to make it past the age of 55 and considerd blessed if you lived to be 60 though there were people who lived to be quite old there was one confederate soldier who lived to be 116 and a union soldier who proved to be 112 at the time of death very creppy, one fact I forgot to mention was that they often painted pupils onto the eye lids when neither of what i stated could be done or the eyes were unable to support themselves or had witherd away into the skull
Have you done a list of interesting, or creepy, or bizarre, or scary, or…whatever tombstones? There are a lot of really interesting ones out there!
The comment about necrophile pedophiles is a good one. These people must exist and even if one of these evil monsters could be traced stalking dead babies pix then the police and every other international law enforcement agency must be used to bring justice down HARD!
It is no use saying that these scum are a minority club; it is only by devoting resources to hunting them down that pedophile necrophiliacs and their animal lusts for death can be prevented from infecting impressionable young minds.
Only a few years ago, pornography was hard to obtain and expensive. Nowadays even children as young as 5 are computer literate and able to track down bestiality, coprophilia and anal homosexual acts. The likely effects of this tide of filth on their minds has yet to be known.
How much worse if these kids are groomed to locate pix of dead children for the delight of death pimps?
It is only by ruthlessly eradicating these vermin that we can take back control of young minds.
I think the photos are touching and sad. Thank you for sharing them. Our culture is very freaked out by death…probably because of generations of having no contact with it. Back then, the body would lay in state in the family’s home until burial…sometimes for as much as weeks to allow family from far away to travel to the home and pay respects. People had time to truly “know” and experience death.
If I were a mother and lost a child, I would want a picture to remember their beautiful face. These women during this time would lose as many as 1/3-1/2 of their children. We take for granted that if this happened today, the mother would have the photos from the birth pictures if the baby lived a while…but back then…this photo would be all you would have to remember them. Once they were in the ground, you would never see their face again.
Also, I have a photo I believe is a Momento Mori…would like an expert opinion as it is kindof unusual. My gggg Grandmother is posed in a chair sitting outside, she wears black, hold flowers in her hand and honestly looks deceased. Gathered around is the entire family-her adult children and husband wearing black, some of the young grandchildren are posed with instruments as if they are playing music for her. Her eyes reflect back at the camera…making me think she was blind but I think the reflection was caused by coins or buttons. I would appreciate an assessment if you are interested. The photo was taken in Texas around 1897. Thanks!
Jan Oliver I would love to take a look at your photo if you could send me a picture copy of it to my email Whitefangluvr050@aol.com
My great aunt had a book like this from Italy when I was a child and it was thrown away after her death, and I have been trying to find something like it since then. Are these ever sold in books as my aunt had? I was curious
my family is from deep coal country, in southwest West Virginia. with such strong Appalachian roots, i grew up with a fascination with death and superstition. still today, we take photos, and sometimes video, of funerals. i have memory books from the funerals of both my brothers, 1970 and 1982 respectively and photos of my father in his casket, taken in 2000. i dont see us abandoning this practice anytime soon.
i remember reading that Queen Victoria was so obsessed with death that she kept a room devoted to nothing but memento mori of her friends and family.
this was a very interesting article, presented with dignity and taste.
This could be a new craze today.
Some enterprising snapper could set up to photograph dead babies, stillbirths and young cancer victimes.
It would be a great social document and very interesting to see pictures of dead babies from crack whores or aids victimes – these are t hings we are not allowed to see by these politically correct times.
It would be interesting to see pictures of the dead people decomposing and rotting away too. If they could be left for flies we could maybe see how maggots affect the time it takes for rotting and turning to jelly.
Someone start a website please.
All of that exists already. And has been in existence for a long long time.
Look up Michael York, the actor. In an interview years ago he talked about his wife taking pictures of dead people in an artistic way. Personally I am not interested but it might be a good place for you to start.
Youtube has a lot of memorials to deceased children if that is what you are into…
Keep looking and I am sure you will be able to find all of that stuff.
obviously you havent seen Rotten.com.
these photos were taken for a different reason, purely for memorial and respect of the dead. of course there is probably a market for the type of thing you are proposing, but it shouldnt be confused with photos such as these.
I have two young children – 2 1/2 and 4 months. I can’t possibly imagine doing this – although I assume that if I were alive then instead that I would really have no choice. I agree entirely that as a society Americans and Europeans are completely disconnected from the concept of death and are made to fear it. I speak of myself as well, of course, in that I am terrified of dying and made uneasy by death!
These are hauntingly beautiful pictures. Although I’ll admit that the work that NILMDTS (Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep) does is far more attractive in my opinion. Although that’s probably the death-paranoid part of me speaking.
I lost my 18 year old Son in June 2009 in a motorcycle accident, I took pictures of him at the funeral home the day after, it was just his handsome face showing, I had to see him before they dressed him up and put makeup all over him, I also had his funeral photograhed and video taped, He is the love of my life, My baby, I know people say “why would you want to remember him that way?” Well, Thats the way he was, that was the last time I was ever going to see him, touch him, rub his hair… It was horrific, but I am so happy that I had the pictures taken, I dont sit here and stare at them, I have them in an envelope attached to a book that I write in every day to him… I am still in disbelief that he is really gone. I asked that when I pass they take my book and pictures and cremate them with me, these are my private thoughts and agony written down, For now the pictures are my reality.
I love you Joey, never out of my thoughts or my heart
I am so very sorry for your great loss, to love and nurture a child for so long, and then suddenly, they’re no longer alive. It’s a slap in the face to the natural order of things. Mothers and Fathers should never have to bury a child. I buried my baby boy 18 years ago last week. I did not think I would survive. But, let me assure you, he is always alive in your heart and mind.You cannot destroy love, it’s a dynamic force of the human soul that can only be transformed, the life energy moves on, and we have to find our way out of the sadness, each in our own way, and in our own time. I pray that you will find serenity again, a peace that only a parent who has ever had to say goodbye, for now. In His grip. Tracy
If you look at the ninth photo as you scroll down, it seems to me that this is not a dead baby. There is no distortion of the features, no pooling of blood that occurs when you die, there is no sign at all that he,or she is just a healthy looking little baby that is just asleep.How unusual as well that the baby is not clothed. I’ve got the baby on the blanket, just wearing a smile photos, done in good taste, so we can embarass her future mate. (Sweet revenge for 36 hours of hard labor) If anyone has a comment on my interpretation of this photo, please respond.
ok kilker or what ever your name is, how dare you stand in judgement of anyone who chooses to preserve a final memory.I don’t know what is wrong with you, but I’d bet it’s hard to pronounce. You can’t spell either. Go buy a dictionary, or better yet, I’ll mail you a dollar, and maybe you could buy yourself a clue. You sure do look on the sunny side of life don’t you?
Actually the ninth child down as you can see is actually not alive, the child dosen’t show any blood pooling but please remember that blood pooling dosen’t always occur and dosen’t always show especially if the young child had been enbalmed (I.E. drained blood, restoration done) These photo’s are amazingly beatiful and as a funeral director I have respect for what they do.
Gosh, I appreciate your response, but I sure hope he was just sleeping. When my three day old son died 18 years ago, they dressed him, cleaned him and handed his still warm body to my ex husband and myself. He was so beautiful. He had a smile on his precious little face and I like to think that after a hellish 3 day fight to stay in this world, he found peace and joy in the next. I have no pictures of him dressed for his memorial service, I didn’t want that to be my last earthly memory of him, I have never been able to watch the home videos of him alive for some reason. ( my two beautiful daughters call our home videos, “the me show”. ) Children , my mom has always told me are not really ours, but that they are entrusted by God for us to care for and nurture. I still wonder even now, what would he have looked like, would he be like me, tall, or like his daddy, serious. But I rest in the knowledge that he is in the most tender and loving arms that could ever be. He’s my angel, and if I play my cards right,
we will see him again. In His grip. Tracy
Hello. I have recently come across possibily misidentified post mortem photos that all featured peope with their eyes open, some of them standing near the other family members…could these be authentic? Of the small basketful, I purchased only one of young female twins…I could supply an electronic copy of the photo. Thank you
Having lost twin girls in the early 90s (preterm rupture – 7 months), we definitely took photos of our departed girls dressed in little doll clothes! Our first daughter was DOA, our second daughter was alive and struggled so hard with her little tiny legs and arms while the nurse crimped her umbilical cord and waited til she went limp… I was within arms reach of her… helpless, stunned, blood.. controlling such an intense desire to knock the nurses head off and save my daughter… I do wonder what thoughts the nurse was having…
Life is quite awesome of course, all life, and right now you are alive so enjoy your day.
As I ramble…, with today’s technology we should have hologram captures instead of photos, uh oh, hologram images – video games – co-partner with a departed family member within a video game? I’m thinking I’ll have to ponder on that idea for a bit!
Dave, I want to tell you that first of all, you still are the parent of twins. I know you’ve probablly read my post(s) and usually I only reply to people (?) who are using this site as a platform to spread their manifesto of stupidity. I am so very sorry for your loss. I was at 27 weeks when my twins decided to move to a place where they could stretch out. My beautiful daughter (now 18) weighed in at a whopping 2.5 pounds. My precious baby boy, despite a valiant fight, passed away at 3 days old.
My wish for you is this: that you will remember these tiny hearts with a smile, and that time, and I know this is so cliche, will help you and your partner to heal. My thoughts and prayer are with you, for a wonderful, blessed holiday season. In His grip, Tracy
Per my last post, to clarify, the photo is clearly from the Victorian era and marked with “Patten & Stratton 47 Hanover Street, Boston, Mass”. I couldn’t find anything relating to this business and am guessing photograpers did not specialize in this area or did they?