20 Photos Of Deceased Loved Ones That Will Make You Perceive Death Differently

By | August 26, 2015

Back when photography was just a budding art form, it was too expensive and laborious that it was often only in death when a person gets photographed.

These post-mortem pictures or memento mori, which is Latin for "remember that you will die," served as treasured remembrance of a loved one who passed away.

In most of the photos, an effort is made to make the deceased pose as if alive, sometimes surrounded by family, held by their spouses or parents, and photographed with flowers.

1. Just look at those haunting eyes.

memento mori  (7)

Tumblr

2. Four women mourns the death of their beloved dog.

memento mori  (1)

Paul Frecker

3. A husband lies beside the body of his wife for her post-mortem photo.

memento mori  (2)

Pinterest

4. This young woman is believed to be an army hospital nurse. The revenue stamp dates this photo to 1864.

memento mori  (6)

Pinterest

5. A dead woman's bed adorned with flowers.

memento mori  (8)

R. Dechavannes

6. A postcard showing a dead nun in Palermo, Sicily.

memento mori  (9)

Paul Frecker

7. A memento mori of William T. Anderson, he fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War.

memento mori  (11)

The Skull Illusion

8. Parents posing with their dead daughter.

memento mori  (12)

The Daily Mail

9. This photo of a dead baby is hauntingly artistic.

memento mori photos (3)

Science Blogs

10. Memento mori of Bavarian King Louis II

memento mori  (13)

Pinterest

11. A dead woman held lovingly by her husband.

memento mori  (14)

Pinterest

12. A deceased child surrounded by her family.

memento mori  (15)

Pinterest

13. Memento mori of Mrs. Della Powell, she died in 1894.

memento mori  (16)

Paul Frecker

14. A mother covers her face while holding her dead child.

memento mori

Pinterest

15. Edgar Allan Poe's death remains a mystery to this day. This is his post-mortem photo.

memento mori

Celebrity Morgue

16. With their deceased sibling.

memento mori

Scienceblogs

17. Post-mortem picture of Gen. Turner Ashby, a confederate cavalry commander during the American Civil War.

memento mori photos (1)

Civil War Talk

18. These beautiful kids look like they're just sleeping.

memento mori photos (2)

Antique Photo Album

19. A rather odd post-mortem pose.

memento mori photos (5)

Flickr

20. Post-mortem photo of a little girl held in a standing position. The picture is a cabinet card from Villisca, Iowa taken in 1890.

memento mori photos (4)

Pinterest