Claire Keogh recalls when the dead were photographed for the family album

It’s challenging to grasp in today’s fast-paced world, but there once existed an era, not long ago, when capturing a family member in a photograph after they had passed away was viewed as a way to maintain a special bond between the living and the dead.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, countless families across Ireland and beyond arranged for a final portrait to be taken before the funeral, often in the soft light of a drawing room or the serene embrace of a garden. This poignant creation was known as a post-mortem photograph.

While it may strike modern sensibilities as morbid, with its stillness and solemnity, it was, in fact, a deeply significant ritual.

Families wished to preserve the memory of their loved ones, capturing their features and essence one last time, often surrounded by cherished belongings or family members, creating a tangible remembrance of their enduring presence.

As autumn’s chill deepens and Hallowe’en looms, it is worth pondering how our ancestors navigated the realms of grief, death, and remembrance. The tale of these unusual photographs is an integral part of that rich tradition.

In the 1800s, the era’s technological and financial constraints meant that most individuals never had their likeness captured while alive. Photography was a luxury, and rural families often lacked the means or opportunity to visit a studio. Yet, when a loved one passed, particularly a child, it was common for families to summon the local photographer to their home. There, amid solemnity and reverence, the deceased would be dressed in their finest Sunday attire, surrounded by a tapestry of flowers, or tenderly cradled in the arms of grieving parents.

These photographs were not crafted to shock or disturb. They were created to cherish and remember.

Continue reading in this week’s Ireland’s Own