1930s Post Mortem Funeral Photograph

In a time before modern medicine and hospitals, maternal and infant mortality rates were high.  With the invention of photography it became common practice to photograph the deceased.  These images were kept as keepsakes, placed in the home as a memorial and tribute to their loved ones.  This practice was popular throughout the Victorian period but began to decline in the 1930s likely with how accessible photography became to the masses.  Most people were able to easily photograph themselves in life and there was less need to photograph people in death.  

This post mortem likely dates to the 1930s based on the casket style, casket light and clothing.  You can see many elements of a typical 1930s viewing in this photograph from the coffin cart, to the kneeling bench, the casket light featuring the sacred heart, the electric candles and the plethora of foliage and flowers.  These photographs are an important reminder of funeral traditions of the past.