r/interesting • u/Candy_sweet_xo • 1d ago
In the 19th century, due to the limited availability of cameras, deceased loved ones were often posed alongside living family members for photographs, creating a lasting memory of the departed HISTORY
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u/myaccountgotbanmed 1d ago
Jeez that's grim. I assume the youngest one is the child who died.
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u/WonderSHIT 12h ago
I believe it's the girl second from the right. I am guessing this because she is the most clear in the photo. I saw a thing about how the picture took a long time with exposure for something. So people show up more blurry from moving during that time, while the dead don't move. Just a guess and definitely could be wrong
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12h ago
[deleted]
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u/WonderSHIT 12h ago
You are rude. I was sharing my two cents with reason. She is also pretty clear in the photo and you're probably right. Fuck off now
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u/One_Hedgehog4372 1d ago
This was known as post-mortem photography. As unsettling as the practice may seem now, it was actually considered to be a way of honouring the deceased child. Photographs were often taken with the child nestled between their other siblings or supported whilst sitting between their two parents.
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u/jose_elan 1d ago
I don't get it, how do you persuade a dead kid to stand up for a photograph?
And what, they kept their dead body until the photographer was in the area?
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u/Unusual_One_566 14h ago
The smaller girl is dead. You can see by her hands being out flat, and her head slightly tilted, as if she was in a lying position before the photo. Photographers of the time had devices that would hold up the dead for a photo. Arsenic based embalming was popular for preserving the dead. It’s interesting once you read a lot about it.
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u/Downtown-Place8670 1d ago
Easy, it could be one the parents on their knees supporting the child behind her back. She could be tied up to a T-shaped pole. There are numerous ways to hold up a stiff body.
And usually those who were able to afford those photos were amongst the wealthiest families so the chance of having a photographer nearby would be really high. Or they did indeed a preservation of the body which also wasn't uncommon back in the days. Death was everywhere and with an average lifespan of 40 to 50, with an increased mortality rate amongst infants due to having no vaccins to diseases like red fever, measles or the pox people back then were confronted a lot by death so they had other methods of grieving as we do nowadays.
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u/jesta030 1d ago
Thing is they only stay stiff for about 4 hours.
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u/Downtown-Place8670 21h ago
No, that's not right, it commences about 4 hours after death sets in, reaching full stiffness at 12 hours after passing and then gradually dissipates until 72 hours later. So a body stays rather firm the first day after death, which gave them enough time to dress up the deceased, call a photographer and set them in a position.
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u/MariaJane833 1d ago
Usually it’ll be the child that is the most clear in the photo as they do not move around during the long period of time needed to take the image
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u/Otto-Korrect 1d ago
Also probably the one with their eyes closed. Probably.
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u/a_boring_minimalist 16h ago
Not the case for this photo but apparently painting the eyelids to look like the eyes were open or painting the developed photo so the eyes looked open was a thing?
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u/CharismaticCrone 11h ago
The BBC says the youngest, far left, is deceased. There are plenty of other photographs in the article.
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u/dburr10085 9h ago
It was common for families to have lots of children, and also common for them to die before their fifth birthday. In this picture, the youngest child has died and is propped against a stand for the picture
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u/Rightbuthumble 15h ago
The one on the far right and the middle child both look dead. Their ears are black
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u/Shiasugar 1d ago
Girl looks happy that she’s the only girl once again.
Deceased one has a glowing aura, strangly.
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