Post-Mortem Photography
/As creepy and disturbing as we might think it is now, photographing the dead was considered normal during the Victorian period. There were a good number of reasons why these post-mortem pictures were so valuable to the family members of the deceased that may make you see them in a different light.
As mentioned in a previous post, when Louis Daguerre invented the daguerreotype in 1839, it was an expensive process that not many people could afford. It was rare for families to have photographs of their loved ones because of how expensive it was, but when someone passed away, families were more than willing to make an exception. They would hire a photographer because it would be their last chance to photograph the person they loved. Families were desperate and wanted a way to remember and honour those they had lost. When you think about it, it was a way to console those heart-broken by loss. Post-mortem photography was more sorrowful than it was bizarre.
Photo by Chris Slupski
It was most common that photographers would photograph children after death. Children were more susceptible to diseases. In England, children in the Victorian era (1837-1901) had a higher mortality rate because medicine was not as evolved as it is now. There were no vaccines for measles, diphtheria, scarlet fever, rubella, tuberculosis, etc.
The photographers aimed to make the deceased appear alive so that the families could remember them in that way. Making the dead seem alive could not always be achieved, so instead, the photographer would make the corpses appear as though they were sleeping. In some cases, people would go to the extent of drawing eyes on the eyelids to make them look as if they were open. I can understand that someone would at least want a photo to remember the person they lost but painting eyes on a corpse seems like quite the line to cross. Exposure time during this era took longer than it does now, which is why the dead in most of these post-mortem photographs appear clearer than those alive; they do not move.
Contrary to what we might believe, people had a healthier relationship with death during this time. It was relatively common and often happened in the home. They were prepared for death and accepted it as something that just happens. Although no one can control death, they believed that photographing the dead allowed them some form of control of how they chose to remember the person who had passed away. This photography back in the day was a method referred to as “memento mori,” which translated from Latin to English means “remember death” or remember that you will die.”
These customs have disappeared because photography is easily accessible and we can afford to take many pictures of the living. The modern world still uses post-mortem photography for crime scene investigations and scientific purposes like pathology. After learning about this subject, does it make you less uncomfortable and understand why this topic is important to history and photography?
Sources
https://www.history.com/news/post-mortem-photos-history
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-36389581
Kaydence Marie
Kaydence Marie is a writer attending the professional writing program at Algonquin College. Although she is ardent for reading and writing, she is also very interested in photography, music, and animals. Kaydence can most likely be spotted reading her tarot cards while checking out a restaurant's latest vegan options.
