xoxoxoBruce Monday Oct 11 03:02 AMOct 11, 2010: Olde Brits
Some people, like myself, are intrigued by old photographs, often as not for the details in the background, rather than the principle subject. Blogger Steerforth, at The Age of Uncertainty is rather passionate about them.
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As with almost every album I find, there are no names or places, although judging by the stone walls and dales, I think that it comes from the north of England. There is only one date - 1863 - but even if there wasn't, the fashions are quite clearly mid-Victorian.
This is the England of Charles Dickens, George Eliot and Wilkie Collins.
It's a little spooky to think that the old couple might have been born in the 18th century.
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I doubt this couple is in their 60s, but that could be a grandchild. Life wasn't easy witout Botox.
They were probably very nice people, a loving family, but day-em.
No wonder the Brits managed to build an Empire... by terrifying the natives into submission.
Adak Monday Oct 11 04:11 AMI love the way the woman's block-shaped head is made to look even worse, by that OMG awful hair style.
No comment on Grandpa - he's clearly died, been brought back to life, and is now scaring everybody he meets, in his new role, as a Zombie.
I haven't seen an image of a more aesthetically challenged couple Yikes!
SPUCK Monday Oct 11 06:18 AMWhy would the photographer leave out the family dog....
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Cujo?
And who's the guy in the shawl?
Griff Monday Oct 11 06:43 AMI suspect he was admonished not to move and is holding his breath not being familiar or comfortable with the camera.
xoxoxoBruce Monday Oct 11 07:30 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adak
I love the way the woman's block-shaped head is made to look even worse, by that OMG awful hair style.
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She spent all her time doing the kid's hair.
Shawnee123 Monday Oct 11 08:19 AMAre we certain that man isn't dead? I think they used to photograph a lot of people post-mortem and pose them as if they weren't all dead and stuff.
casimendocina Monday Oct 11 08:45 AMHe looks furious.
mizzie Monday Oct 11 08:49 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shawnee123
Are we certain that man isn't dead?
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Actually, that's what I was thinking about the child. You had to stay very, very still to be clear in photos back then and look at the child's face, it's very clear. Also look at the crispness of the cheeks and ears against the man's jacket. Even the eyes are in focus! Meaning the child didn't move his eyes at all. And compare that to the woman, who is slightly blurry, and you can't even see her eyes. I think the child is dead, and perhaps the man.
ETA: Does anyone else think the woman looks a little like Robin Williams?
Shawnee123 Monday Oct 11 08:52 AM
Quote:
The dead were often posed with surviving family members in this way. Parents holding dead babies were an especially common motif.
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A couple more pictures on this page about post-mortem photography.
link:
http://socyberty.com/paranormal/phot...ho-look-alive/
There are some good pics here, too:
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/32946
HungLikeJesus Monday Oct 11 08:55 AMThat's a hobby I want to take up.
Shawnee123 Monday Oct 11 08:56 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by mizzie
ETA: Does anyone else think the woman looks a little like Robin Williams?
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Mrs Deadfire.
Cloud Monday Oct 11 10:10 AMwow. Lurch's great-grandfather!
spudcon Monday Oct 11 10:21 AMI just hope the happy couple and their little one would stop looking so silly and get serious for a change.
Mrs deadfire. Good one Shawnee.
footfootfoot Monday Oct 11 10:47 AMeach night father fills me with dread
as he sits at the foot of my bed
I'd not mind that he speaks
in gibbers and squeaks
but for seventeen years he's been dead
(e. gorey)
Sheldonrs Monday Oct 11 12:08 PMAfter this picture was taken, they ate the photographers' brain.
chrisinhouston Monday Oct 11 01:55 PMSome interesting portraits here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/ga...ture=333325401
I took this picture about an hour after my mother died. I felt my mother's body was like the boat that had made the voyage and lay broken on the beach, no longer needed as the passenger had made it home.
classicman Monday Oct 11 02:17 PMspeechless
monster Monday Oct 11 02:31 PMHere's that little boy all grown up
Gravdigr Monday Oct 11 03:54 PMThis is a photo of the Stein Family. There's Martha, little Billy, and Frank N.
Griff Monday Oct 11 04:51 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisinhouston
I took this picture about an hour after my mother died. I felt my mother's body was like the boat that had made the voyage and lay broken on the beach, no longer needed as the passenger had made it home.
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Beautiful thought, Chris.
chrisinhouston Monday Oct 11 05:07 PMSome one took the time to do a nice collection on Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07hNTSNDzaE
and here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3LmK...eature=related
One thing to remember is that in this period of history many children of all ages died from natural causes that are easily treatable today such as viruses and other common diseases. This would most likely account for the fact that many of them in these images show little or no signs of decomposition. It was not uncommon in those times to keep the recently deceased on ice in the parlor for family and friends to view before the funeral, the term "living room" comes from that time when a type of parlor was created that was not used for the dead.
Think about today and how so many children you might hear about on your local news dying, do so in a violent manner like a car wreck or physical abuse or some other kind of accident.
One other thought is that today most families who have a typical western style funeral often have an open casket viewing which would be a similar way to remember those that have passed away.
Spexxvet Monday Oct 11 05:37 PMA distant in-law of mine twice had still-born births. She knew the fetuses were dead weeks before her due date, but had to carry them full term. When they were born, her husband had newborn portraits taken, and those pictures are on the mantle alongside pictures of their 2 surviving children.
spudcon Monday Oct 11 11:54 PMA more recent development, re-animation of Vice Presidents using microchip technology. Here's Al Gore's post mortem photo being posed.
ogwen69 Wednesday Oct 20 03:47 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shawnee123
Are we certain that man isn't dead?
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That's exactly what I thought - judging by the look on his face, yes
Char*Pntr Thursday Oct 21 12:55 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce
Some people, like myself, are intrigued by old photographs, often as not for the details in the background, rather than the principle subject. Blogger Steerforth, at The Age of Uncertainty is rather passionate about them.
I doubt this couple is in their 60s, but that could be a grandchild. Life wasn't easy witout Botox.
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I haven't been on this website that long, but this picture will probably always be my favorite. (In fact, it was this pic, how I found this website, through a fellow member here) Tough one to beat. Very interesting and it provokes a lot of wonder, who that family was and whether they survived the black plague :-)
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