post-mortem of Mother and Child, ca. 1855

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Daguerreotype Post-mortem of Mother and Baby from George Eastman House, ca. 1855

A grimmer side of the photography market involved the taking of post-mortem portraits. Commonly used in cases of infant mortality or accidental death, the post-mortem portrait was usually the only image a family might ever have of the deceased. The finality of death was often diffused in these images by placing the subjects in positions suggesting sleep.

Via: Civil War Picturing History

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