Beginning during the Victorian era (June 20, 1837 – January 22, 1901) with the
invention of photography, post-mortem photography, also known as a commemorative
portrait or mourning portrait, is the practice of photographing the recently
deceased, with the aim of capturing beauty in the face of inevitable death.
Background.
Ritual practices.
During Victorian England, death was present in many very distinct ways.
Epidemics of diphtheria, typhus, and cholera left their mark on the country,
and beginning in 1861, the bereaved Queen Victoria made mourning
fashionable. The rituals surrounding her, as well as the conventions and
rules regarding mourning, were very specific. Postmortem photography from
this era, intended to preserve the memories of the faces and bodies of those
who had left this world, captured an almost unheard-of and strangely
beautiful way of contemplating death.
At that time, the average age of death for a man from the middle or upper
class was 44; 57 out of every 100 children born into the working class died
before reaching the age of five. Corpses, funerals, and everything
surrounding a person’s death were part of daily life. Entire families would
gather around the dying person to hear their last words and watch them take
their final breath. There was an almost fanatical obsession with death; it
was seen and experienced up close. It was even common to make jewelry from
the hair of the deceased, as if it were a relic; wax death masks were
crafted, and images and symbols of the dead were incorporated into paintings
and sculptures.
The daguerreotype.
This century also saw the birth and popularization of photography. With the
invention of the daguerreotype in 1839 (a device that reduced the exposure
time required to take a portrait), photography spread throughout the world,
becoming cheaper than commissioning a painted portrait. The daguerreotype
produced a small, highly detailed image on polished silver. Although it was
an expensive luxury, it was more affordable than hiring a painter to create
a portrait which, until then, had been the only way to permanently preserve
someone’s image.
As the number of photographers increased, the cost of daguerreotypes
decreased. In the 1850s, less expensive methods were introduced that used
thin metal, glass, or paper instead of silver.
The Art of Photographing the Dead.
The staging of these photographs is perhaps what most resonates with the
creation of unsettling atmospheres in modern visual narrative. Early
photographers operated almost like art directors and special effects
makeup artists, employing specific techniques to create the illusion of
life or of a “peaceful dream.”
Positioning and Framing.
The bodies were placed in everyday settings, sitting in armchairs, lying
on beds, or surrounded by their toys and personal belongings. At times,
parents held their deceased children, sometimes hiding their own faces
behind curtains or dark blankets to give the deceased center stage,
creating deeply unsettling and melancholic compositions.
Image Manipulation.
To combat pallor, it was common to subtly tint the cheeks pink in the
final photograph. In a more aggressive attempt to simulate life, some
photographers painted open pupils directly onto the corpse’s closed
eyelids on the negative, seeking to make them look back.
Physical supports.
Although modern myth suggests that complex devices existed to keep corpses
standing upright, this is largely untrue (metal supports were used to keep
living subjects still during the long exposure times of that era).
However, concealed supports, straps, and ties were indeed used under the
clothing to maintain the posture of a seated body so that it would not
collapse due to a lack of muscle tone.
Portraying the deceased thus became increasingly popular. Victorian nurseries
were rife with measles, diphtheria, scarlet fever, and rubella, all diseases
capable of causing death. That was often the moment when families first
considered having a photograph taken with all their members together.
The end of practice.
Postmortem photography lasted for about eight decades, until the 1920s, when
photography became more common, cheaper, and instantaneous, so that most
families began taking photographs of themselves while they were still alive.
As improvements in public health increased children’s life expectancy, the
demand from families interested in photographing their deceased loved ones
declined.
At the same time, Western society began to shift death from the domestic and
everyday sphere to hospitals and funeral homes, turning the corpse into a
visual taboo.
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