or Hold on, this gets a bit creepy.So the theme of this post was holding still for a photograph. I was going to talk about how it is especially hard for kids and compare pictures of a little Wally with Prince George and how they were both trying to walk away in their family portraits.
Then I was going to use this as a lead in to a picture of my great, great grandmother, Anna, and how in her day they had to hold still for so long for a photo that they had stands to help with that. The interesting thing was going to be that you could see evidence one of these stands with the black bump on top of her head in the picture. Usually the stands were hidden behind hats or hair. But when I looked into the details, things didn't quite stand up. (Pun intended.)
First a bit of photography history that caused the confusion. The first photograph in 1826 took 8 hours of exposure and by Civil War time in the mid-1800s the time was down to 3 seconds. By the late 1800s and early 1900s, exposure time needed was under 1 second and they were starting to take snapshots. Anna was born in 1845 and died in 1926. So for most of her later life, photographs were taken quick enough that under normal circumstances, she shouldn't have needed any extra assistance from something like a stand.Then things turned strange and a bit morbid. While researching the stands, I learned that it was common to use them during Victorian times (late 1800s-early 1900s) to take pictures of dead people.* We don't know when this photograph of Anna was taken, but it looks like she was at least 60 and more likely in her 70s. That would make it likely that photo was taken in the 1900s well after the time that stands were needed for pictures. That begged the question, "Was this a picture of a dead Great, Great Grandma Anna?"
I promptly called Mary Ellen, my sister who is into genealogy, and asked her what she knew about the picture and did she think it was possible this was a post-mortem picture? She was sure that it wasn't, but had no evidence to support it. We both felt that that Anna was alive when the picture was taken, but circumstantial evidence suggested other possibilities.
Next step was to show the picture to Ward and Theo and get their opinion. They studied the photo carefully and said her eyes had too much expression in them to be from a dead person. So I conclued that she was alive in this picture and I had let my imagination get away with me.
What do you think?
*Lots of discussion on the internet whether this is true or not. The best I could sort out is that the practice did happen, but not everyone with a stand in the picture is dead as many believe. The timing of this picture is what raised my question.
But wait there's more:
Reasons Anna could be using a stand for the photo when stands were not common place any more.
1. The photographer was using an old camera.
2. The photographer believed that even with new equipment, that was still the best way to do things.
3. Anna had back problems and sitting up straight for the photo was a problem.
4. That's not really the top of a stand, but something else.
5. ?
I read the same thing about taking pictures of the dead but I agree with your sons that her eyes show that she was alive when the picture was taken. Maybe the black object is the top finial on the chair she was sitting on. I guess we'll never know :)
ReplyDeleteWe will never know, but it's interesting to speculate about.
DeleteThis is a morbidly funny post!
ReplyDeleteMy sister thought I was crazy when I called her that I would even consider such a thing. And not in a crazy, funny way.
DeleteH is for Holy Kazoli! So I've been reading all about post-mortem photography and... wow! There's no question as to the fact that Victorians took photos of dead people, but there IS a question as to whether they posed them to make them look living. This site says that whole thing is a myth: https://dealer042.wixsite.com/post-mortem-photos
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, the people who say that posing dead people to look alive was a thing, say that they actually painted eyes on the dead person's eyelids to make them look like they were open. The eyes in your photo certainly don't look like they've been painted on!
Well, in any case, this is a fascinating topic. Who knew?
So why have you been reading about post-mortem photography? Did something just catch your eye in the vast internet world that sucked you in?
DeleteWhile, I hadn't been on the exact sight you referenced, I had seen pullouts from it. I agree. Anna does not look like her eyes were painted on. If they were, it was a very talented painter.
Oh, I just meant that I'd spent an hour or so researching it after reading your post!
DeleteThat makes more sense.
DeleteOK, so you sent me on a really weird Google quest. Hopefully my husband won't notice my search history. Ha. I enlarged the picture of Anna and I think, from what I could ascertain online, that she was alive at the time her photograph was taken. At death, there is no blood circulating in the retina and the surface of the eyeball dries out which changes the look of the eye. Then again ... I didn't find what I would consider to be a really credible site, so I could be wrong. :) Apparently the pupils widen soon after death but constrict when rigor mortis sets in. More info than you probably wanted to know.
ReplyDeleteYears ago I went to a special exhibit at a museum about death and dying in different time periods and different cultures. I know, I know, kinda morbid, but it was fascinating. The exhibit showed pictures of deceased children in the Victorian age--according to the museum, it was expensive to take pictures so families wouldn't necessarily do it unless someone died in childhood, and then they paid for the expense to remember them by. As I recall, all of the children's/baby's eyes were closed and the children were posed to look like they were sleeping. I was also fascinated with the hair wreaths--it was common practice to take the deceased person's hair and twine it into jewelry (ewww!) or a decorative wreath that was framed and placed on the wall.
I had never heard of the head stand before. Now I will pay more attention when I look at old pictures!
I have seen the hair jewelry and wreaths before on tours of old houses. First time I saw them, I found them beautiful, but kind of creepy. Of course, that was before I ventured into the world of post-mortem photography. That puts them in a different perspective.
DeleteMaybe Anna was wearing a hair comb, as they were rather popular hair ornaments at the time? Maybe that's what is showing at the top of her head? I can't tell from the picture, but it looks a bit bumpy - almost as if it was something crocheted, beaded, or braided.
ReplyDeleteA hair ornament is a very plausible explanation for the black thing on top of her head. I enlarged the photo and there's not any better resolution of it to get more detail. Still a mystery.
DeleteMy vote would be for your No. 2, "This is the way I have always done things and I will continue to that." She looks pretty alive to me, and "loaded for bear," to use the old expression.
ReplyDeleteShe does look pretty determined in the picture, or as you said,"Loaded for bear." I come from hearty stock. :)
DeleteL&L,
ReplyDeleteSo much speculation on dear Anna's picture. I never looked into the eyes of a dead person but one commenter mentioned the practice of painting on eyes and I do recall reading something along those lines a few years ago. If Anna had been dead then they would probably would have done the same. I'd say the eyes of a dead person would lose that sparkle. Thinking about photographing the dead, I recall when I was little seeing photos of dead relatives in photo albums. I never understand that and these were people who probably died in the late 40s and forward. I think you're onto something with the possibilities with number two. The photographer was old school and felt using the prop would produce the best photo. Interesting read! Thanks for visiting yesterday. Happy A2Zing!
~Curious as a Cathy
A2Z iPad Art Sketch 'Heart Hands'
We have a picture of an uncle who died as a baby. It was his only one. That makes more sense than propping someone up to take a picture after they died.
DeleteI think alive. Her mouth has a stern straight look that requires facial muscles to acquire and hold.
ReplyDeleteGood point!
Delete