I had this picture above my desk at work and people used to like to stop and take a look at it ( it’s a seemingly refreshing change from the pictures of devils and tombstones that I’ve tacked to my ” wall of weird ” over the years ).
Then one day a co-worker stopped by and gushed about the lovely old photo- the composition, the art, the meaning behind the picture.
” She’s dead ” I said.
” Well, ” my co-worker snapped ” of course she’s probably dead by now- that’s a really old picture ”
” Listen, ” I said ” SHE IS DEAD. She was dead when they took the picture, she was dead when they developed the picture, she was dead when they framed the picture. That is a picture of a DEAD WOMAN.
” No she isn’t ”
” Yeah- I’m pretty sure sure she is ” I said.
Now days I could hang a dead moose from my wall and I can promise you not one single person is going to stop by my desk to ask me about it.
They’d ignore it- even if it attracted flies and it smelled really, really bad. I’m pretty sure people would be very happy to pretend like it wasn’t there hanging from paper clips and staples ( which is all I have at my desk ) decomposing away.
Art is SO funny.
Irregular Bones 
I read or saw somewhere that people used to take photos of the dead in their coffins and such. Is she really dead?
Hi Keri,
I’ll be honest, when I found this picture that’s what the general feeling was- it shows up on websites that explore
Post Mortem Photography.
Here are a few links if you’d like to explore this further:
http://users.telenet.be/thomasweynants/post-mortem.html
and this one is an excellent resource to have:
http://vv.arts.ucla.edu/terminals/meinwald/meinwald1.html
I’ll bet that did teach people not to ask too many questions!
You’d think THAT would do the trick…in reality though I’ve found that now people can pretty much say what’s on their minds on just about anything when they talk to me.
which is okay.
That’s when you get to hear the really interesting stuff, isn’t that true Anita??
*chortling evilly*
Hugs and kisses,
GwenGuin
Pretty much Gwen 😉
Hugs back to you.
When I looked at the photo the first thing that went through my head was, it is on Anita’s site, that has to be a dead person in that photo.
Trust you to pull a stunt like that! I do love a wind up merchant!!
Memento Mori were hugely popular in the Victorian era–you had hair jewelry (lockets containing tiny braids of hair, decoratively wrought) and pictures taken when people were dead. They held still, finally. Photographs were expensive, so you had them taken at important times in your life, baptism, marriage and death.
You always find the most interesting things!
Anita Marie, obviously the person who asked the question must be new because anyone who has worked with you long enough would not be asking such dumb questions.
🙂
Of course she’s dead! Would Anita Marie give us less than the best.
Max…you’ve got a point if I REALLY wanted to surprise people I should put up pictures of LIVE ones.
Hmmm…
Jan, you always make me feel so good about my choices- even if they do go just a tad bit over the top.
Hi Quinn, I find the entire subject of Momento Mori interesting because Western Cultures have such a hard time looking at death in general. For them to haul off and start taking picture of it for any reason fascinates me to no end.
Lori- you’d think that wouldnt you? But unlike the way I am here I pretty much keep to myself at work. It’s a throw back to the Funeral Days- I didn’t like to blend my private and work life together.
Barbara- cyber hugs to you- and look no fangs !
amm
Anita Marie you really are the absolute BEST!!! I LOVE you and your site and all your writings!!!!
Muchas HUGGSSSS to you!