The invention of the daguerreotype in 1839 made portraiture much more commonplace, as many of those who were unable to afford the commission of a painted portrait could afford to sit for aphotography session. This cheaper and quicker method also provided the middle class with a means for memorializing dead loved ones.

Post-mortem photography was very common in the nineteenth century when "death occurred in the home and was quite an ordinary part of life."

 Due to photography being a new medium, it is plausible that "many daguerreotype post-mortem portraits, especially those of infants and young children, were probably the only photographs ever made of the 'sitters.'": According to Mary Warner Marien, "post-mortem photography flourished in photography's early decades, among clients who preferred to capture an image of a deceased loved one rather than have no photograph at all."

These photographs served as keepsakes to remember the deceased.

 

This was especially common with infants and young children;Victorian era childhood mortality rates were extremely high, and a post-mortem photograph might have been the only image of the child the family ever had. The later invention of the carte de visite, which allowed multiple prints to be made from a single negative, meant that copies of the image could be mailed to relatives.

 

The practice eventually peaked in popularity around the end of the 19th century and died out as "snapshot" photography became more commonplace, although a few examples of formal memorial portraits were still being produced well into the 20th century

 

The earliest post-mortem photographs are usually close-ups of the face or shots of the full body and rarely include thecoffin.[citation needed] The subject is usually depicted so as to seem in a deep sleep, or else arranged to appear more lifelike. Children were often shown in repose on a couch or in a crib, sometimes posed with a favorite toy or other plaything. It was not uncommon to photograph very young children with a family member, most frequently the mother. Flowers were also a common prop in post-mortem photography of all types.

 

Nineteenth-century photograph of a deceased child with flowers

While some images, (especially tintypes and ambrotypes), have a rosy tint added to the cheeks of the corpse, it is untrue that metal stands and other devices were used to pose the dead as though they were living. The use by photographers of a stand or arm rest (sometimes referred to as a Brady stand), which aided living persons to remain still long enough for the camera's lengthy exposure-time, has given rise to this myth. While nineteenth century people may have wished their loved-ones to look their best in a memorial photograph, evidence of a metal stand should be understood as proof that the subject was a living person.

 

Later photographic examples show the subject in a coffin. Some very late examples show the deceased in a coffin with a large group of funeral attendees; this type of photograph was especially popular in Europe and less common in the United States.

Post-mortem photography is still practiced in some areas of the world, such as Eastern Europe. Photographs, especially depicting persons who were considered to be very holy lying in their coffins, are still circulated among faithful Eastern Catholic, Eastern Orthodox andOriental Orthodox Christians.

A variation of the memorial portrait involves photographing the family with a shrine (usually including a living portrait) dedicated to the deceased.

 

 

The Victorian era of British history (1837 to 1901) was one of the more progressive eras in human history. I would have loved to live in this period of time, thanks to the numerous developments in society and technology popping up left and write. It was also a time known for great literature and theater. Oh, how I wish I could have experienced it!

That said, it was also still ripe with weird, morbid traditions concerning death. Some of these are pretty disturbing. Proceed at your own risk.

SEE SLIDESHOW FOR IMAGES 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HERE ARE SOME MORE MORBID VICTORIAN CUSTOMS

 

 

 

1.) Coal Jewelry.

 

 

 

When someone died in Victorian England, women were forbidden to wear any jewelry while mourning. Instead, they wore a fossilized form of coal, known as lignite or jet. Talk about morbid.  

 

 

 

2.) Hair of the Dead.

 

After the first phase of mourning was finished, women were allowed to wear a single piece of jewelry. This piece of jewelry had to either contain, or be made of, the hair of the deceased loved one. This is just seriously gross.

 

 

 

3.) Cover the Mirrors.

 

 

When someone died in a Victorian household, all the mirrors in the house had to be covered. I'm not quite sure what this accomplished, but it was believed that if a mirror fell and broke, death was coming soon for someone else in the house.

Bodies also had to be removed from the house head first. This was to prevent them from beckoning others to follow it. 

 

 

 

4.) Coffin Alarms.

 

 

Since Victorian medicine was not very advanced, people were always afraid of being buried alive. Enter the coffin alarm. It was a string that ran from the finger of the corpse up through the ground, to a bell on the headstone. I wonder if it actually worked.

 

 

 

5.) Death Portraits.

 

Death portraits were painted before the invention of the camera. During Victorian times, however, it became customary to have death photographs taken. I can't imagine how creepy it was to pose for a photo with the body of your dead loved one.

 

 

 

6.) Making the Dead Look Alive. 

Death portraits existed to have something to remember the deceased by. To achieve this, photographers tried to make the dead look as alive as possible. This extremely creepy practice involved posing the body, having them hold their favorite object, and/or propping open their eyes.

 

 

 

7.) Mourning Veils and Bonnets.

 

Widows traditionally wore a heavy bonnet and veil for the first three months of mourning. After three months, they could do away with the veil, but still had to wear the bonnet for another nine months. Some widows wore what was called widow's weeds, another form of mourning dress, for up to two years after their husband's death.

Via: Mother Nature Network

I take back what I said about wanting to live in the Victorian Era. They were just too darn morbid. I don't think I could ever pose with a dead body for a photograph.