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17 Haunting Post-Mortem Photographs From The 1800s

This Victorian-era mourning tradition is fascinating. Warning: Pictures of dead people ahead.

Beginning in the mid-1800s, post-mortem photography (or memento mori) was a popular way to honor and remember the dead. Most photographs were taken shortly after death, and could look incredibly life-like, especially if the deceased was propped up into a standing position. Post-mortem photos of children were particularly common, perhaps because their mortality rate was high during the Victorian era.

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