Post mortem
It was in 1839 that the first photographic process accessible to public places arrived on the market, with the daguerreotype. It then became possible to have the portrait taken as a family. At first, getting your picture taken was quite expensive, but the prices have come down over time. To be photographed, the model must stop moving for about fifteen minutes, the waiting time for the stereotype to be made, in order to prevent the photo from being blurred.
It is nevertheless complicated not to move, especially for young children. In these photographs it is very easy to tell the dead person apart from the living ones by their sharpness. they don't move, so there's no blurring of moving.
Quickly, people begin to have their portraits taken, in order to remember the deceased. For Victorians, having a photo of a deceased loved one makes it easier to grieve. Having a photo of the deceased is a way to commemorate the dead and lessen the depth of grief.
Often, with the many illnesses circulating at that time, the people most photographed were babies and old people. These two age groups being the most likely to catch diseases and die, they were the first to have their portraits taken.
Generally, post-mortem photos are the only family photos Victorians took. We regularly find snapshots featuring the corpse, in order to make it as alive as possible. Some people did not hesitate to color the cheeks of the deceased in red on the photo, in order to make it more alive.
You may think this type of photography was only for humans, but it was far from the case. Pets were already very dear beings, we already considered them as members of our families and some Victorians did not hesitate to take a photo of their deceased little companion, in order to keep a memory of it.
Here are some authentic photos from the time:
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My sources :
https://historydaily.org/feeding-bottles-of-the-victorian-era
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcTeLx5lNIA&t=3090s
Image sources:
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-mortem_photography
https://www.9lives-magazine.com/33184/2018/02/09/photographie-post-mortem-tradition-disparue/
https://lyseelivres.wordpress.com/2018/06/04/pour-aller-plus-loin-la-photographie-post-mortem/
https://ledernierportrait.ch/un-rite-ancien
https://www.pinterest.fr/sophiesaintgabriel16/photo-post-mortem/
https://www.pinterest.fr/thomasfoxart/post-mortem/