So first, let me apologize to anyone out there doing research on the subject who happened to come across my blog because I happened to show up when you googled "post-mortem photography". I'm not a good, scholarly source. I'll try to work on that for you.
I feel like it would be very...astute of me to say "Victorian post-mortem photography was popular during the Victorian era". To get by that, I pointed out how astute it would be to make such a mundane statement. Anyway, photography was still a relatively new technology with a considerably longer exposure time than what most people use today. Due to the slow nature of photography, people had to stand as still as possible for X-amount of time in order to ensure that they weren't blurry. The best way to make sure your subject appears completely in focus in a photo?
Take a photo of them when they're dead.
On the more sentimental side of things, post-mortem photography was sometimes the only photo families would have of a particular family member since photography was also rather expensive. It was considered a very respectful way to commemorate the dead, and much like how a lot of modern households will plaster baby photos all over the place, it wasn't uncommon to see these photos on display in the household.
Now, there were a few ways people went about portraying their loved ones. Sometimes the loved one was posed in a way that made it appear as though they were still alive (like the guy above). When standing, those bodies, like the guy above, were usually propped up with a stand that would wrap around their waist and neck in order to make sure they didn't topple over. You can actually see the stand behind the man's left (stage left) foot. Additionally, stiff wires would be run along the arms in order to keep them in place.
Sometimes the loved one was posed with the rest of their family. When put in this situation, as you can see, something looks a little off. The man in the centre is just a little too stiff.
In some cases, eyes were painted onto the eyelids in order to give a more "life-like" (eerie?) appearance:
You can see the stand behind this young lady, too.
Sometimes, photos were taken which showed that the loved one was quite clearly passed. These photos would range from being very simple:
...to some truly beautiful things:
I realize most of these photos depict people standing. I feel like I should point out that's more of a coincidence; there wasn't any rule dictating the person had to be standing. They could be sitting or laying down, too. Whatever the family wanted, really.
Sometimes, the contrast between the living and the dead made for some amazing photos:
It just shows how much living beings actually move, even when standing "perfectly still". It doesn't get much stiller than death.
I have a fascination with dark imagery, so this appeals to me. I admire this practice, and I feel like it's a shame that this went out of fashion. It's a very lovely way to honour the dead, and I feel like it possibly helped ease the pain of losing a loved one. Photography wasn't as easily affordable back then, so what a lovely way to express your love for the recently deceased.
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