Stupid Brain, Go to Sleep

[moon_custafer]

Ghoulish websurfing + insomnia means I am now unable to stop formatting an argument about why I think the posed Victorian post-mortem photograph* is a myth**, and I don't even know if it's a particularly widespread myth.

I also have some thoughts about why modern viewers might mistake Victorian photos of living subjects for post-mortems.

Arrgh. I'm not even a proper historian, just a geek with a morbid turn of mind.


* As opposed to post-mortem photos where the subject is (a) clearly dead, usually in his/her coffin, or (b) retouched to look alive, but still in a supine position - usually with the aim of portraying the deceased as peacefully asleep.

** Short version - years ago I read The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club, and recall a passage about why hospital staff hate hate hate it when a patient dies in a chair and doesn't get discovered until rigor mortis has set in...

Comments

[donald hutton (from livejournal.com)]

The picture of Eric that they put the programs and so on at the funeral looked exactly like one of those childhood death-mask pictures that show up on some tombstones of kids. Jason remarked upon it while I was thinking exactly that.

[handful-ofdust.livejournal.com]

In chairs, I'm inclined to agree with you. I did sort of believe the one I saw where the person was supposedly strapped to a frame to keep her upright and fitted with special "open" eyes, though, since rigor mortis would help there rather than hinder, as long as you dressed her before it set in.

[moon-custafer.livejournal.com]

Yes, but how would you get her in her coffin afterwards? The only two options I can think of (wait for rigor to wear off and decay to set in, or forcibly break some joints) are both pretty nasty.

[leave-harmony.livejournal.com]

It's one of those things that, envisioned, would probably work in a really, really black comedy.
At least, I'm laughing. I'm not even sure why...