Memorial photography, or the practice of photographing the recently deceased, is something that I think becomes increasingly grotesque as I am further removed from the subject of the image. The images portray death at what seems like the moment it has arrived, and without the emotional attachment or memory of the deceased that the original consumers of the photos may have had, I am put at extreme unease. This death feels far more real than death portrayed in modern news or entertainment media because the love of that person is reflected in not only preserving his/her memory by means of photography, but also the delicate handling of dress and pose.
Paul Frecker Collection
Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation
Memento Mori
The Thanatos Archive
1 comment:
Ok, so, related funny story: I was antiquing with someone, and they found one of those and thought it was a picture of a christening. They were about to buy it for a friend who was expecting... until it was pointed out that it was a funeral, and not a christening.
What a grotesque and tasteless present that would have been!
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