Strange Traditions

After the invention of daguerrotype, the memorializing habits of people have changed: they've chosen the cheap, higher quality photographs instead of expensive and not so lifelike paintings. Painting dead people was common for centuries, so it's no surprise that, in the Victorian Era, post-mortem photos also came into fashion. Here are some of the strangest ones.

Please note :These pictures may be distressing to some...Violet

http://io9.com/the-strangest-tradition-of-the-victorian-era-post-mort-472772709

This is a fascinating topic if macabre, often if I remember rightly, this kind of picture would be the only one the prents ever oened especially the poor, it makes you wonder what kind of effect this had on the surving chilrren who would be photographed with them, ive seen fit to add an advisory to your post as those pics may distress some  

WARNING! WARNING! May not be fit for the faint of heart! View at your own risk.

http://www.oddee.com/item_98883.aspx

I remember a lot of those photos from my childhood....
Had an uncle from my childhood who was a medium.    

Now looking at those photos,would you say the dead folks looked dead?    They are immaculately placed as if they were still alive.
In fact looking again,I would say if I didn't know better,they were still alive!    
Very good photos.....

SpiritVoices wrote:I remember a lot of those photos from my childhood....
Had an uncle from my childhood who was a medium.    

Now looking at those photos,would you say the dead folks looked dead?    They are immaculately placed as if they were still alive.
In fact looking again,I would say if I didn't know better,they were still alive!    
Very good photos.....

Yeah they are dead.Look at the facial features and muscle tone in the faces. They even went as far as to paint the eyes on the deceased.

I noticed that one...Imagine trying to do that today!     
Horrific!

A lot of the modern funeral traditions came from the Victorian Era. In Manchester in 1847 your life expectancy was 17 years if you got out into the countryside you could expect to live another 20 years. Before the establishment of commercial funeral parlors or mortuaries the body was prepared at the home of the deceased  and often the undertaker would come to the home. Undertaking during this period was most often a side job. Spirits and Bones tell the tale.

Thank God they don't do that sort  of thing now..... 

SpiritVoices wrote:Thank God they don't do that sort  of thing now..... 

It use to be common in some hospitals to photograph infants that died at birth. I do not know if hospitals still do that or not at least I do not know about in the US. It can still be done today only people view it as gross or morbid when they should actually be saying things to comfort the mourner.

Azrael wrote:

SpiritVoices wrote:Thank God they don't do that sort  of thing now..... 

It use to be common in some hospitals to photograph infants that died at birth. I do not know if hospitals still do that or not at least I do not know about in the US. It can still be done today only people view it as gross or morbid when they should actually be saying things to comfort the mourner.

A horrific habit....

Azrael wrote:

SpiritVoices wrote:Thank God they don't do that sort  of thing now..... 

It use to be common in some hospitals to photograph infants that died at birth. I do not know if hospitals still do that or not at least I do not know about in the US. It can still be done today only people view it as gross or morbid when they should actually be saying things to comfort the mourner.

I presume that would be for the records.    All records are kept of infants who are still born.
Poor little mites.....

SpiritVoices wrote:

Azrael wrote:

SpiritVoices wrote:Thank God they don't do that sort  of thing now..... 

It use to be common in some hospitals to photograph infants that died at birth. I do not know if hospitals still do that or not at least I do not know about in the US. It can still be done today only people view it as gross or morbid when they should actually be saying things to comfort the mourner.

A horrific habit....

The deceased infant is still someones chid, a photograph may be all they have of that child, I don't think  it's 8
morbid to want a picture of your child and I can see a picture bringing some measure of comfort, though I do think some onlookers may see it as morbid, I think hospitals should take pictures, which should ghen be held for the parents indefinitely.

Violet wrote:

SpiritVoices wrote:

Azrael wrote:

SpiritVoices wrote:Thank God they don't do that sort  of thing now..... 

It use to be common in some hospitals to photograph infants that died at birth. I do not know if hospitals still do that or not at least I do not know about in the US. It can still be done today only people view it as gross or morbid when they should actually be saying things to comfort the mourner.

A horrific habit....

The deceased infant is still someones chid, a photograph may be all they have of that child, I don't think  it's 8
morbid to want a picture of your child and I can see a picture bringing some measure of comfort, though I do think some onlookers may see it as morbid, I think hospitals should take pictures, which should ghen be held for the parents indefinitely.

You got the idea.......... 

I agree to a certain extent,Violet,but I feel I would prefer a picture of my living child to one who has passed to spirit...   only because of the memories of that child living and hopefully well... 

Hi joanie, everyone would, but Azrael was talking about the ones who sadly dont live, not even for a minute in some cases.

Yes,I can see what you mean,Violet....the only memory of that child....
I suppose I would have wanted to do the same....

During the Victorian Era this was often the only memory parents would have of a child. With the invention of daguerrotype photography in 1847 it gave them a way to eternally memorialize their child. Understand that child mortality rates were extremely high during this period and as I have said many of them did not live to see their 5th birthday.

What makes me think of Reincarnation here?   The word popped into my mind.
For no reason.      The had large families in those days.   The child who passed over?    Do you feel that,that child may have been reborn in another of their children?

SpiritVoices wrote:Yes,I can see what you mean,Violet....the only memory of that child....
I suppose I would have wanted to do the same....

   yeah I think i would  have in that position too

They were lucky if they reached 5, mothers often died in childbirth too,

SpiritVoices wrote:What makes me think of Reincarnation here?   The word popped into my mind.
For no reason.      The had large families in those days.   The child who passed over?    

Honestly SV I cannot say but during this Era they were very superstitious people....case in point was the article I posted on the MortSafe....superstition ran rampant that it was to keep the dead in their grave "Zombies" but you know now the actual use of it. Do not know, maybe I am on the wrong forum as there are no forums out there for this sort of topic and even less interested people in it. You know its odd I own a V Bulletin license, A Xenforo and a UBB and all are sitting unused.

Azrael wrote:

SpiritVoices wrote:What makes me think of Reincarnation here?   The word popped into my mind.
For no reason.      The had large families in those days.   The child who passed over?    

Honestly SV I cannot say but during this Era they were very superstitious people....case in point was the article I posted on the MortSafe....superstition ran rampant that it was to keep the dead in their grave "Zombies" but you know now the actual use of it. Do not know, maybe I am on the wrong forum as there are no forums out there for this sort of topic and even less interested people in it. You know its odd I own a V Bulletin license, A Xenforo and a UBB and all are sitting unused.

I'm on  Zombies site...link given to me by a member on another site.....So funny but interesting.....You would be surprised how many members are on there...

SpiritVoices wrote:

Azrael wrote:

SpiritVoices wrote:What makes me think of Reincarnation here?   The word popped into my mind.
For no reason.      The had large families in those days.   The child who passed over?    

Honestly SV I cannot say but during this Era they were very superstitious people....case in point was the article I posted on the MortSafe....superstition ran rampant that it was to keep the dead in their grave "Zombies" but you know now the actual use of it. Do not know, maybe I am on the wrong forum as there are no forums out there for this sort of topic and even less interested people in it. You know its odd I own a V Bulletin license, A Xenforo and a UBB and all are sitting unused.

I'm on  Zombies site...link given to me by a member on another site.....So funny but interesting.....You would be surprised how many members are on there...

Thats good but they are not real. Hollywood concoctions of the living dead. Man's fear of the dead rising up to haunt and terrorize him.

SpiritVoices wrote:You know its odd I own a V Bulletin license, A Xenforo and a UBB and all are sitting unused.



What are those....?    I'm nosey......  

Those are forum softwares.