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
