Taking photographs of our dead loved ones is a practice we might view as morbid or inappropriate, but our ancestors had a much different perspective on images of the dead. It was during the Victorian Era that post-mortem photography reached the height of its popularity.
There were two major factors in the spread of post-mortem photography during this period. One factor was the new accessibility of photography. Just as taking photographs and filming videos has been democratized in our own technological era, photography was a relatively new medium that became more accessible through the invention and perfection of the daguerreotype camera. This enabled the emerging middle class to memorialize their loved ones; arranging for a photograph was much cheaper than paying for a painting. Even those of limited means could afford post-mortem photographs. Mark Dery, author of the essay “Ghost Images: The Curious Afterlife of Postmortem Photographs” included in The Morbid Anatomy Anthology, says that for many, especially the rural poor, it was only, “the momentous occasion of death” that “merited the expense of a portrait” (1). Death was often the only occasion that the poor were able to secure a photograph of their family members. This was especially true of their children, “cut down too soon to have a studio portrait taken” while they were alive (Ibid).
The second major factor that led to post-mortem photography’s popularity with all classes of people was the Victorian view on death. Rather than being seen as something taboo, death was a topic that was well-integrated into culture:
“Death, for the Victorians, was the venerated object of a sentimental cult. Unlike sex, it was a subject for polite conversation, prompted, perhaps, by post mortem photographs, which might be prominently displayed in the sitting room” (Ibid).
Death was a painful reality for the Victorians. Parents grieved constantly because few of their many children would make it to adulthood; even fewer of their infants would survive: “Grief at the loss of a child, or a second or third child, is something we rarely experience; but our forebearers were always going to funerals, those of kith if not of kin” (2). Due to reasons such as poor hygiene, infected water sources, improper medical advice (such as prescribing babies opium-laden Godfrey’s Cordial), and epidemics which we have, for the most part, eradicated, death was omnipresent in the Victorian Era. This also brought elaborate and rigid mourning rituals into popularity, both to be practiced and observed individually and communally. One of these rituals was taking the post-mortem photograph. It was seen as a loving gesture to intimately remember a life lost during an era where life was constantly under threat.
Today, post-mortem photography, while not a widespread cultural tradition, has not been entirely forgotten. The practice of memorializing early infant loss is still practiced today. Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS) is a non-profit organization whose goal is to, “introduce remembrance photography to parents suffering the loss of a baby with a free gift of professional portraiture” (3). Families who experience early infant loss, both heartbreaking and often unexpected, are able to cherish their child’s memory forever through these photographs. The testimonials on their website reflect the gratitude of the parents and families who have found solace in treasuring photographs of their child:
“I just cannot express how fortunate I feel to be able to look back on pictures of my daughter and not feel like the past is completely lost. Your company does an amazing thing. I have much respect for you and your volunteers. Thank you,” reads an NILMDTS family testimonial.
Infant and child memorialization comprise an overwhelming majority of Victorian post-mortem photographs. Though death was a theme prevalent in Victorian parents’ lives, this did not make dealing with the loss of a child any easier. The myriad photographs left behind from this era cloaked in black crepe are evidence of just how much Victorian parents cared for and treasured the brief lives of their children.
The mission of The Thanatos Archive, home to hundreds of infant and child mourning and post-mortem photographs, is to “collect, preserve, and exhibit” post-mortem photographs from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in order to better understand and appreciate “an often misunderstood part of our history” (4). You can access the archive online, home to over 2,000 photographs and continually being updated with more, for a very affordable membership fee. Inside the archive, photographs are categorized by post-mortem, mourning and memorial, and medicine and death masks. Photographs are housed exclusively inside the archive, and are not to be shared elsewhere.
The most rewarding aspect of The Thanatos Archive is its wonderful membership community. Members can comment on photographs, sharing their thoughts, condolences, or immediate observations on a portrait. One such portrait depicts a newborn swaddled in white, its grieving mother, father, and siblings surrounding it. They are looking out to the camera, their eyes and hearts filled with great anguish.
This online community is filled with those who are curious about, perturbed by, and comforted by this art form. Many members are women, who, like the families who have shared their testimonials on the NILMDTS website, share how the photographs of young mothers and families grieving their young children impact them. These babies resonate deeply with them, for some have also shared this deep form of loss in their own lives. The Thanatos Archive is a respectful place where dwelling upon death is done safely and thoughtfully, and with an utmost reverence, as these arresting photographs so demand.
Sixth-plate daguerreotype, circa 1853. Courtesy of The Thanatos Archive.
To learn more about The Thanatos Archive, and to see some more examples of post-mortem photography, visit their blog.
Sources:
- Dery, Mark. “Ghost Images: The Curious Afterlife of Postmortem Photographs.” Ed. Joanna Ebenstein and Colin Dickey. The Morbid Anatomy Anthology. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 138-40. Print.
- Jordan, Thomas Edward. Victorian Childhood: Themes and Variations. N.p.: State U of New York, 1987. Print.
- “Mission and History.” Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2016.
- “The Thanatos Archive / Early Post Mortem and Mourning Photography.” The Thanatos Archive / Early Post Mortem and Mourning Photography. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
