Why Did Victorians Take Pictures of Deceased People?

Did you know Victorians had a unique way of remembering loved ones? 📸⚰️ Post-mortem photography captured the deceased in lifelike poses as a final memento. Discover the eerie yet fascinating world of Victorian death photography. #WeirdHistory #VictorianEra #DeathPhotography #MacabreTraditions

[michaelmontagu]

Actually supports weren't used. They would have been unable to support a corpse, and were only used to steady the living when exposure times were longer.

Eyes were often forced open after death, but had to be done quickly or the eyeballs turned black and orange as they dried out, the tache noir effect. The alternative was to paint open eyes in the photograph.

To prevent post mortem fluid coming out of the mouth during photography, friends were advised to turn the body over before the photograph session to get anything out.

For more information see my article in Rye News, 9th November 2023

[HowlingRiffs]

That's the way it was but gosh pretty creepy 😮

[PrimeTX]

It certainly is creepy to us. But as mentioned how rare and expensive photographs were, it’s likely in many cases this was the only photo the family would ever have of the deceased. I think it falls in the same category as the old saying about sausages: don’t ask how they make ‘em, just eat ‘em-or, in this case, look.