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Unsettling Victorian Portraits Of Dead Children Propped Up To Look Alive
A deceased young girl has her eyes propped open for the daguerreotype in 1850 (Picture: News Dog Media/The Thanatos Archive)
December 19th, 2016 | 11:09 AM | 2323 views
Metro.co.uk
There are many different ways to remember loved ones who have passed away – but propping their bodies up for a photo wouldn’t cross most of our minds.
But things were different in the 19th century, when post-mortem photography was the norm for grieving family members.
A new collection of daguerreotypes – the earliest form of photography – have been released showing people’s relatives slumped on chairs, or lain down as though they are sleeping.
As studio time was expensive, these daguerreotypes would often be the only time a person could capture their loved one’s likeness.
What resulted was a vast collection of eerie, and incredibly sad images, put together on the Thanatos Archive.
And with diphtheria, typhus and cholera doing the rounds, it was sadly all too common for children to die prematurely.
In many photos, parents are seen cuddling the bodies of their dead children as though they are sleeping.
In others, young infants are lain down in cots and beds as though at rest.
And in some particularly unsettling images, the photographer has propped the child’s eyes open to give the illusion that they are still alive.
Rosy tints would also be added to the daguerreotype, or pupils painted over the eyes.
But the widespread practice fell out of fashion by the start of the 20th century, as the daguerreotype was replaced with simpler (and cheaper) forms of photography that meant families could take photos of their children as they grew up.
Nowadays, grief counsellors recommend bereaved parents do not take photos of children who have passed away.
Source:
courtesy of METRO
by Ashitha Nagesh
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