Description:
Post-mortem; Memento mori photograph; bottom half of black leather case with plain inset rectangle in center and two lines of gold braid tooling containing elaborate embossed mat (flowers and shields) with oval of deceased child, left hand bent over waist, right hand by side, partly covered in blanket, a small tintype on each side of her head, hand painted flowers on either side and over her blanket
Label Text:
With the invention of photography, and in particular the daguerreotype around 1837, it became more affordable to have a family portrait made. Previously only the wealthy few could afford a family portrait, painted either by a local or in the case of great wealth, by a well-known artist.
However, the spontaneous family snapshot was still in the future. Professional photographers had small studios or would come to people’s houses to take elaborately set-up and choreographed portraits. This was necessary because of the long exposure times. Metal head clamps were used to assist the sitter so that the photograph would not blur. These constraints obviously made it difficult to photograph young children. For this reason, we do not see young children depicted in many of these early photos-If we do, they are either asleep or deceased.
Infant mortality rates were extremely high during the 19th century. It is not surprising that parents chose to have their child photographed after death. It was often the first and only chance they had to have their child immortalized. While this custom seems somewhat morbid to the modern eye, the elaborate and detailed arrangement of the deceased child reflects the care and love of the parents. These photographs were not to be hidden away but would be displayed among the photos of the living.
Other label: This ornately decorated tintype shows a young child dressed in white. Surrounded by flowers (with hand-coloring added to the image) and photographs of family members, she is posed to appear asleep.
Infant mortality rates were extremely high during the nineteenth century. It is therefore not surprising that parents chose to have their child photographed after death. It was often the first and only chance they had to have a lasting image made of their child. While this custom may seem somewhat morbid today, the elaborate and detailed arrangement of the deceased child reflects the care and love of the parents.
Additional writing on this object can be found at
Paper + People the Cunningham Center Blog.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=SC+2009.25.2 |
