Postmortem Portrait of an Elderly Man, 1860-1870

American attitudes towards death and mourning have changed throughout our history. In the mid-to-late-1800s, mourners turned to photographers to capture one last (or perhaps the only) portrait of their loved ones. Postmortem images usually depicted the deceased either asleep -- in a peaceful state, or "alive" in a somewhat natural pose usually with eyes open. These personal reminders helped mourners move through the grieving process.