Death Photography

Getting your photo taken was a once or twice-in-a-lifetime event for most Victorians; and if your life passed without ever getting a photo, well, your family might decide that that shouldn’t stop them from getting an image to remember you by. Enter: postmortem photography.

Taking photos of a deceased loved one was so common during the Victorian era, experts estimate that postmortem photos were actually the most common kind of photography of the time. It wasn’t considered weird or spooky; you’d display a postmortem photo, usually called a “memento mori,” in your parlor, or show it to a close friend. The practice became less popular as both photography became more common and medicine helped more Victorians stay alive.