Home interior but with a post mortem. Fig this is for you.

Hi,
It was a shock to me since I was looking for interior shots of a famous mansion I lived in for a while. Usually Post-mortem photos do not shock me but this one did.
I would have just bypassed it except for the cat. I looked at it and realized the woman had a smile and thought that was different and looked at the floor.
greg

 

Since we "lent out" our NYC drawing room for the wake of a visiting British Peer in 1846 my family has "funeral-ed" thousands, from all cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds - and I can tell you with some authority that with this photo "you ain't seen nuttin"...............

I have seen professional photographers hired to take photos at viewings that have included removing the deceased from the casket and posing them all over the room, in some of the most interesting tableaux............and a room full of wailing grannies passing about a bitty bairn to cuddle while their pic was taken is a sight you DON"T want to remember.

The contemporary cellphone selfie? Ha! Old hat........

 

Too obvious! She's curled up with her legs tucked up as though sleeping. If dead, she would have died moments before. If died prior, rigger mortis would show her much different. Not to mention the non nonchalant attitude of others.

 

I have to admit that I find any post-mortem photos creepy.

 

Just as a point of interest, rigor mortis seldom lasts more than 24 hours and embalming can speed up the process of ending rigor mortis. Most corpses that you see "laid out" are a lot more "flexible" than they appear.

 

Milestoneks, thank you, thank you, thank you for using the phrase "nonchalant attitude of others"!!! You just summed up what I (and possibly others) feel is incompatible with it being a post-mortem photo (especially because the supposed deceased is a child). Half of the people look like they don't care at all (bored) and the other half or so of the people in attendance look like it's all fun and games night at the old abode.

 

Hi,
What Mansons said about rigor mortis is true. Embalming used to leave the skin cold and hard. I was at a viewing last week and they used the "new" embalming technic. The skin was cool but very soft and pliable it really gave me a jolt.
greg

 

There are collections of PM photos on the internet and this one appears in a couple. I've seen many that would surprise you. Generally, when they are more close up, there are tell-tale signs around the eyes. If you look closely, I think you'll see that her right eye is slightly more open than the left. I vote for PM.

 

I think it is real too. I understand that some of the people are smiling but the couple sitting right behind her are wearing all black and I believe that would be her parents. They don't look like they are happy. I think the smiling is more about people just dealing with a sad situation the best they can. Also has Bev pointed out if you zoom in on the eyes of the little girl she does appear to be deceased. This photo just makes me sad being that she was such a young girl.

There are photos of my family at my mom's wake. Not with her body but just together. My brother was trying to smile, I wasn't but a lot of other people smiled in the group photo. Not that they were happy that she was gone but we were trying to celebrate her life as much as possible. Just my two cents.

 

I want a party when I'm gone. I've already picked out music. One of my nephews is tasked with making a cd to play. Rock on!