Unlike the Victorians, who witnessed the death first hand in their home and had to do something for the corpses of their loved ones; Advances in medicine in the last two centuries have caused death to take place in hospitals far away from us rather than at home, and our responsibility for funeral procedures has decreased.
Postmortem photography was also very popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, especially in Europe and America, during the Victorian era when photography was just emerging. When you learn the details of this tradition, which looks disturbing when we look at it now, you will be surprised how you will feel both sad and afraid.
Death; Back then, it wasn’t as scary a concept as it is now.
In the nineteenth century, death was seen as ordinary and part of life. Death was often caught in homes rather than hospitals. Because images of relatives and loved ones were scarce, people preferred a photo of their dead to no photo at all.
Moreover, since photography was still a nascent field at that time, it was possible that the deceased had no photographs until now. Maybe they wanted this to be their first and last photo. This last and sometimes the only portrait was a way of not forgetting and commemorating an image of the deceased.
It was seen as a form of commemoration for those left behind.
In order to reflect their happy times and not to upset the rest of them, they were pulled out by wearing various make-ups, dressed nicely, in short, away from the dullness of death.
It may seem disturbing when we look at it now, but the context in which they emerged should not be forgotten. These photographs, created in societies that see mourning as a form of memory that keeps the bond and relationship between their loved ones alive, have become invaluable assets over time.
Photographs of dead children were very common.
When we look at the post-mortem photos, we can see a large number of children because many babies were caught in diseases (red, cholera, etc.) and died at that time. For photographs, they were often placed in small cradles with flowers and toys.
Photographs involving children were called “little angels” and since it was such a popular style, each photographer developed his own style. For example, some focused on photographs such as the mother tenderly holding the deceased baby.
Families surrounding the deceased were photographed together.
Some families preferred to have their deceased loved ones photographed as if they were asleep, while others wanted a more “alive” look. For this, there were staged photographs of the deceased standing or sitting.
These photographs could indeed give the impression that the person was still alive. The deceased could pose, surrounded by his living family.
So how could a rigid dead body appear upright and sometimes even moving?
This is perhaps one of the most curious things about the subject. photographers; they used very interesting methods such as belts, pulleys, levers, apparatus built into clothes, thin wires to keep eyes open, or paints to draw eyes.
A lot of effort and precision was put into everything, from the clothes of the dead to the setting in which the photo was taken. In the image above, the young woman standing between her parents is actually dead. There is a stand behind the woman and this stand is used to hold the dead body upright.
It may sound scary to us, but for them it was a ritual of fond remembrance.
When we look at the photographs, in post-death photography, which sometimes evokes frightening and sometimes sad feelings, and which is not very common today; death was turned into a beautiful memory rather than a frightening concept.
You can reach our content about the Torajan people, who still continue a similar tradition, and whose photos are taken by removing the deceased from their graves once a year, decorating and dressing them, below.
Dead photography is even made into movies.
The film, named Post Mortem, which was nominated for Hungary’s Best International Feature at the 94th Academy Awards (2022), has a theme that goes back to a haunted village and ghosts. In the film, the “dead photography” profession of German soldier Tomás towards the end of World War I comes to the fore.
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