„Post mortem” – niezwykła moda na fotografię pośmiertną

Abstract

With the invention of the daguerreotype in 1839 the posthumous paintings previously made for the kings and the aristocracy were ousted by photography. As cameras became better and photos cheaper the popular interest in this kind of memorabilia grew wider. Interestingly enough people wanted to perpetuate not only happy families and important events, but also the dead loved ones, whose image had not been captured during their lifetime. Thus post mortem photography was developed. The most common locations were private homes and professional studios. Photos of this kind fall into four categories: those made at home, showing the deceased in their natural surroundings; pictures that posed the dead as if they had been alive; photos of children with hidden mothers and the last category – of the dead pets, usually dogs. The article using XIXth century photos from Gdańsk and Victorian England describes characteristics of post mortem pictures, methods of “work” with the dead, as well as the motives behind the phenomenon.