Remember You Must Die; Exploring Victorian Post-Mortem Photos

Are you one of those people that enjoy taking pictures of your families and hanging them up proudly on display throughout your home? Although I do like to take pictures of the kids and family together, I am currently choosing to cover my apartment walls with strange pictures of cats smoking, dogs with eccentric head pieces on, and pretty much any strange art that catches my eye. For those who are not into finding some of the ugliest art pieces to hang like myself, you may choose to fill your walls with memories of your loved ones. Which brings me to the question, would you like to have a photo of your mother, father, or grandparent proudly on display for all your visitors to view, but instead of standing up with their arms wrapped around you and smiling, they are actually…dead? Believe it or not, this was a very popular tradition in the Victorian-era called postmortem photography.

This popular practice known as postmortem photography started back in 1860 to 1910 in Victorian Britain. It was not uncommon for families to pose for portraits with their deceased loved ones to keep for years to come. Infants usually appeared to be sleeping, while some children and adults sat upright in chairs, with an attempt at making the person appear to still be living or to have fallen asleep.  It was not uncommon for eyes to be painted onto the deceased after the photo was developed. This trend of postmortem photography became known as “Memento Mori”, which means when translated, “Remember you must die.” Although this may seem morbid and strange in modern times, it was a normal way of memorializing those that had passed away. In fact, Queen Victoria slept with a postmortem photograph of her deceased husband over her bed!

So, what do you think? Do you find this tradition to be creepy, morbid, weird? If not, would you ever consider taking your own Memento Mori with a deceased loved one? Although it is not common, postmortem photography is still used in some countries. Most commonly though, pictures of the deceased are only taken for police or pathology work. If you investigate the issues and opinions around postmortem photography these days, you will find information about how it is not proper to take pictures at funerals, unless otherwise specified by immediate family members. Others talk about how the deceased are not able to consent to such photos and why they should not be taken or shared. Personally, I can see both beauty and morbidity in the long past tradition. For some it may only be a reminder of grief, but for others it may truly be seen as a beautiful memorial of the loved one they have lost. I know mothers who participate in taking pictures with their infants that sadly did not make it during birth, and I know that these are special and help them with their healing process. To each their own, I say. We all deal with death and grief in our own way and if there is something that makes that easier for you, it should be embraced.

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Something to Ponder...

While postmortem photography may seem strange to us today, it’s a poignant reminder that people have always found different ways to cope with death and preserve the memory of those they’ve lost. Whether through a photograph, an object, or some other ritual, these practices offer comfort in the face of grief. We each have our own way of remembering those who came before us, and what matters most is that these memories keep their legacy alive in our hearts.