As regular readers of this blog are no doubt aware, 99% of the posts I make are either: a) a gag, or; b) a political slap at samples of conservative religion or politics.
With the exception of a post I wrote last fall marking my father’s passing, this following is likely the most grim thing I have ever written about here – but is still a remarkable (and macabre) sliver of American cultural history.
Several years ago, my mother (who made her living as a photographer before retirement) was asked by a family friend to photograph the body of their one-day old daughter, who tragically died shortly after birth of a congenital illness. When my mom told me about the request, I was horrified.
“Are you going to do it?” I asked.
She said yes.
“Why would someone want such a thing?” I said.
My mother answered that the family wanted a keepsake of their late child to hold onto, that even a photo so painful would be more desirable than a fleeting memory.
Apparently, this type of death photography (called “memento mori”) was not uncommon in the 19th century, as families would arrange for still photos to be taken of deceased loved ones (including pets) of all ages – with the departed often posed beside living family members, as if the memorialized subject were just sleeping.
Tonight, while looking around the net for something completely different, I found a hyperlink on Science Blogs titled “Victorian Post-Mortem Photography,” and clicked on it almost immediately.
The content is indeed disturbing (click here and here for the photo links), but as a history buff, I try to expose myself to all facets of the past – no matter how sad or disturbing – and try to understand what motivated the people who requested these photos.
No comments:
Post a Comment