How Photographing the Dead Helped Celebrate Life
An interview with Getty's resident expert on death portraits and post-mortem photography
Portrait of a Bearded Man, A.D. 100, Egyptian. Tempera on wood, 14 3/16 × 14 3/4 × 1/8 in. Getty Museum, 74.AP.20
Editor’s Note
This article features photographs of the deceased
Body Content
How do we remember what our loved ones looked like after they’re gone?
For much of history, it was through capturing their likeness shortly after their passing.
In antiquity, the famous, rich, and privileged—like Egyptian Pharaohs, and Roman citizens—had death masks commissioned by local artists at great expense. Some were even made of gold.
In the 19th century, the invention of photography made remembering loved ones after death a more accessible practice.
To find out more about post-mortem photography, I sat down with Alyse Yeargan, former curatorial assistant from Getty Museum's Department of Photographs, to dig deeper into the history of post-mortem photography.
Postmortem Portrait of a Little Girl, about 1855, American. Daguerreotype, 2 5/8 × 2 1/8 in. Getty Museum, 84.XT.1578.5
Mel Casas: What constitutes a post-mortem photograph?
Alyse Yeargan: A photograph where the subject is deceased is the simplest answer.
Study of a Dead Child, 1868, Julia Margaret Cameron. Albumen silver print, 8 7/16 × 13 9/16 in. Getty Museum, 85.XM.457
MC: Why are the subjects of post-mortem images posed as if they're sleeping?
AY: In these photos, the pose we often see is called “the last sleep,” which gives the viewer the illusion that the deceased is peacefully at rest. So even if the passing was not the gentlest, this illusion that they are at ease now is something that the post-mortem photograph hopes to conjure and put forward into the memory of that person’s passing.
Postmortem Portrait of an Infant, about 1855, American. Daguerreotype, 2 11/16 × 2 3/16 in. Getty Museum, 84.XT.1582.7
MC: What are some interesting post-mortem photographs in Getty's collection?
AY: We have some really incredible post-mortem photographs. One is a beautiful image of an African-American girl who is seemingly asleep. The practice of post-mortem images for African-Americans was fairly common in the 19th century, but there aren’t a lot of them in circulation.
What’s interesting about this photo is that it makes a statement about society at the time. This child was loved, this child was valued. Ultimately, this child was seen as someone who was worth remembering, as a child, as an individual, and as a member of society, which at the time was being heavily contested.
Billie Holiday, 1959, Lisette Model. Getty Museum. © Estate of Lisette Model, courtesy Baudoin Lebon/Keitelman
We also have a post-mortem photo of Billie Holiday by Lisette Model, which is really fantastic because it shows the modern practice of post-mortem images. This image of this famous person almost returns us back to the practice of death masks—the people that we see in post-mortems now are famous people, right?
Postmortem Portrait of an Unidentified Man, about 1855, American. Daguerreotype, 2 11/16 × 2 1/16 in. Getty Museum, 84.XT.1569.10
MC: Can you tell us more about the modern practice of post-mortem photography?
AY: Post-mortem photographs are still taken, but as cameras have become more accessible, the practice has become more private. Post-mortem photographs have always been intended for private consumption by loved ones. The only difference is that now, we can take our own on our smartphones instead of hiring someone to do it for us.
