SKIRMISHER

“Haunted When It Rains” is a collection of Victorian post-mortem photography, which are photos relatives of the newly dead took to freak them out for the rest of their lives. Maybe they hang these pictures by the dining table as some sort of a Victorian method to lose weight; that is, if the long faces of the deceased had any effect on their appetite.

From the Australian Museum:

Photographs of a deceased loved one served as substitutes and reminders of the loss. Families who could not afford to commission painted portraits could arrange for a photograph to be taken cheaply and quickly after a death. This was especially important where no photograph already existed. The invention of the Carte de Visite, which enabled multiple prints to be made from a single negative, meant that images could be sent to distant relatives. The deceased was commonly represented as though they were peacefully sleeping rather than dead, although at other times the body was posed to look alive.

More fabulous photos after the jump.

via ATHANASIUS KIRCHER

Stumble it!