Saturday, July 31, 2010

Post Mortem Portrait Archive, Part Six

More From My Post-Mortem Portrait Archive:

Once again it is time to present a few more images from my Post Mortem Portrait collection. These are some wonderful examples of amateur, or non-studio portraits. Again, almost all of these portraits are of children, one of the most common forms of this kind of memorial photography. You will see that many are photographed at home or in the family's back yard. Household furniture is often seen as part of the set-up or back-drop. Some even include a family pet hanging around in the background.












































 





















 

























 























  
















The last two subjects are obviously much more recent than the previous twelve, which are circa 19th or early 20th century. The predominance of a professional studio portrait was greatly diminished by the mid-20th century and the number of amateur photographs increased as the practice became more private and less acceptable for a professional photographer or studio to advertise or even do. The improvements in photographic technology also made it easier for family members to photograph their loved ones, especially with the advent of the snapshot camera, then the Polaroid, and now the digital camera. The  body in its casket was no longer being "waked" at home, so the setting is now usually the funeral home or church.

Previous postings on Dark Dissolution that included other images from my Post Mortem Portrait Archive are:  "More Scans....", "Morbid Anatomy", "Sleeping Beauties", "Putting the Fun back....", and "Wisconsin Death Trip".

I will post more later, but with a different emphasis; maybe the props used, the clothing, or the setting....



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