At one point in history taking pictures of the dead body was popular, believe it or not. The typical period for this type of photography was the second half of the 19th century and the very early 20th century. Still, it is in practice today but not as widespread due to the philosophy that it is unethical and the fact that most people already have lots of pictures of themselves taken while they are alive.
During the time period that postmortem photography was popular middle-class families were the largest participants. Certain ethic groups used it more often, primarily African Americans, Italians, Polish, Scots-Irish and Germans. Jews rarely partook of this practice.
The primary reason that postmortem photography was popular was because the mortality of the young was high for one thing. Relatives who had not seen their family member’s children could be sent a picture. As well if a child died before a photo had been taken this would be the only opportunity to get a picture of him or her. It was also felt that having a last picture of the deceased could quicken the grieving process and pay tribute to the deceased. Back then, it was common to hang up framed pictures of the dead.
You will see many postmortem photos that only show the upper half of the body. This is from the idea that death was the “last sleep.” It was fashionable to make the dead look as if they were merely asleep. Those who used this style, which was common from 1840 to 1880, would place the body in a chair or reposing on a sofa with books, crosses or rosary beads in the deceased person’s hand. Children may be placed in a stroller or cradle.
After 1880 and to about 1915 it became more in vogue to photograph the entire body of the deceased. These photos were usually taken of the dead in the casket. The change in trends is probably due to the practice of embalming now being possible, as well as the popular use of a lot of flowers placed around the coffin. The body would last longer and the casket setting at a funeral home made a rather pleasant photo (if one could call it that).
Another trend after 1880 was to have living family members in the photograph with the deceased. If a child died he or she may be photographed being held in the mother’s lap. Even today if a child dies in the hospital it is not unusual to have a photo taken of the parents holding the deceased child as if he or she is sleeping. People long to have some record of the child, and that may be the only opportunity. In old photos you may see pictures of deceased adults lying in bed with family members sitting on the bed with them. Other families gathered around the coffin for a last photo.
Today the practice of postmortem photography continues, and may be as popular as it was in the past. It is widely supported by many, and more than one photo album has current pictures of the deceased in a coffin or deceased infants in their mother’s arms. It is easier to hide today since we all have our own cameras. In the past a professional photographer had to be hired.
For genealogy research the value may simply be one of a last photo of a person or the only photo of a child. For family history researches, trends in humanity are always useful as they give you some idea how our ancestors lived. As well, from the style of the postmortem photograph you can roughly date the photo if need be.
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