Victorian family photos ~ with dearly departed

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

Haunting Victorian family photos capture macabre fad for relatives posing alongside the DEAD bodies of their dearly departed

The invention of the daguerreotype - the earliest photographic process - in 1839 brought portraiture to the masses. It was far cheaper and quicker than commissioning a painted portrait and it enabled the middle classes to have an affordable, cherished keepsake of their dead family members. Known as post-mortem photography, some of the dearly departed were photographed in their coffin. This particular style, often accompanied by funeral attendees, was common in Europe, but less so in the United States.

-