Post-mortem images: a window into the previous

Global dissemination by means of colonialism and Christianity

Post-mortem images, whereas rooted in Western customs, unfold globally by means of:

• Colonial affect, the place European mourning practices have been launched in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

• Christian missionary exercise, which inspired memorial images amongst converts.

• Western drugs, which documented demise in hospitals and establishments.

Yet, these practices have been usually tailored to suit native beliefs and customs or remained confined to elite or Christian communities.

Cultural variations and continuations

While autopsy images pale in a lot of the West, it did persist in different elements of the world. For instance, the apply continued in Eastern Europe in to the twenty first century on account of a novel mix of cultural, non secular, and socio-economic components, together with:

• Strong non secular beliefs by means of Orthodox Christianity and Catholicism.

• Access to images remaining restricted and costly till later within the twentieth century.

• Urbanisation and secularisation coming extra slowly to Eastern Europe than to the West.

Symbolism in autopsy imagery

Post-mortem portraits have been wealthy in symbolism and sentiment, usually depicting the deceased with gadgets or in poses that spoke volumes. Common symbols included:

Flowers – innocence, fragility, brevity of life

Books/Bibles – religion and religious readiness

Toys – innocence, reminiscence of childhood

Painted eyes – phantasm of life

Family poses – ongoing love and connection

Crosses/wreaths – mourning, hope, eternity