Thursday, December 31, 2009



Photographs of a deceased loved one served as substitutes and reminders of the loss. Families who could not afford to commission painted portraits could arrange for a photograph to be taken cheaply and quickly after a death. This was especially important where no photograph already existed. The invention of the Carte de Visite, which enabled multiple prints to be made from a single negative, meant that images could be sent to distant relatives. The deceased was commonly represented as though they were peacefully sleeping rather than dead, although at other times the body was posed to look alive.

I really really reaaaally want a Victorian Book Of The Dead

2 comments:

Unknown said...

We learned about this in college a couple years ago. It's so creepy.

I found this photo, its a chick called Laura Hampson on her graduation day in 1926 and I want it.

Unknown said...

http://www.usgennet.org/family/bliss/unknown.htm