The idea of photographing the dead is as old as photography itself. For the most part, early death photographs were commissioned or taken by relatives of the deceased and preserved in the home as part of the family photograph collection. Once thought inappropriate and macabre, today these photographs are considered beneficial in dealing with bereavement.
Photography and Death reveals the beauty, meaning and significance of images once dismissed as disturbing, perverted or grotesque by placing them within the context of changing cultural attitudes towards death and loss. Excluding images of death through war, violence or natural disasters, Audrey Linkman concentrates on photographs of natural death within the family. She identifies the range of death-related photographs that were produced in both Europe and North America, and charts changes in their stylistic treatment through the decades. The author also examines how this subject is handled by contemporary art photographers.
Photography and Death will interest photographic, art and social historians as well as practitioners in the field of bereavement therapy, or those who seek to analyse the images of long-lost ancestors who gaze back from the pages of their family photograph albums.
eBook - PDF
Photography and Death
About this book
Trusted by 375,005 students
Access to over 1 million titles for a fair monthly price.
Study more efficiently using our study tools.
Information
Topic
ArtSubtopic
Photography
between
Oscar
Gustav
Rejlander’s
Sleeping
Child
(illus.
4
)
and
a
Southworth
and
Hawes
post-mortem-portrait
of
an
unknown
child
(illus.
5
)
shows
how
closely
the
two
states
could
be
made
to
resemble
one
another
in
the
hands
of
competent
photographers.
This
aesthetic
approach
to
the
portrayal
of
the
dead
echoed
the
conventions
of
portraiture
from
life
where
professional
rhetoric
exhorted
photographers
to
secure
an
idealized
portrayal
of
their
sitters
by
highlighting
their
good
points
and
concealing
any
perceived
imperfections.
Photographers,
themselves,
were
conscious
of
the
implications
of
this
approach.
One
conceded
that
his
post-mortem
work
adds
another
to
the
chapter
of
lies;
but
who
can
blame
the
perpetra-
tor?
Ought
he
not
rather
to
be
blamed
if
he
revealed
the
horrible
truth,
which
with
every
fond
look
would
tear
open
the
wound
of
despair,
which
by
other
means
has
passed
into
the
healing
state
of
resignation?
21
The
death-as-sleep
portrait
was
clearly
intended
to
comfort
the
bereaved
and
console
the
survivors.
As
we
shall
see,
other
treatments
emerged
later
but
the
death-as-sleep
tradition
persisted
into
the
twentieth
century.
Within
this
tradition
the
metaphor
of
sleep
influenced
every
aspect
of
the
22
No
digital
rights
4
Oscar
Gustav
Rejlander,
Sleeping
Child
,
mid-19th
century,
platinum
print
on
card-
board
mount.
Table of contents
- Photography and Death Cover
- Imprint page
- Contents
- Foreword
- 1. Photographing the Dead
- 2. Mourning the Dead
- 3. Exhibiting the Dead
- Postscript
- References
- Select Bibliography
- Acknowledgements
- Photo Acknowledgements
- Index
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn how to download books offline
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 990+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn about our mission
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more about Read Aloud
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS and Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app
Yes, you can access Photography and Death by Audrey Linkman in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Art & Photography. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.