by Owen Williams
his level of cost was cheap
enough to allaw many more
people to have an image
recorded, but was s0 expen-
sive that these people could
only afford one image in their ives.
So, what did Vietorians choose 10
photograph for this once in a lifetime
porunity? Death,
In contrast to today, death in
Victorian Britain was nottaboo. Poot
medical care, plagues, bad living con-
ditdons and low ifeexpectancy meant
that death was commons a part of
life. Strong religious views provided
reassurance that death wasthe start of
peaceful afterlife and often an end
to earthly suffering
“THesewo factors crete society
‘where death was the perfect time to
have a photo taken, with families
spending large sums of money on
| having heir deceased relatives image
captured, to help them live on and
bye remembered. In the photos, the
post martem | lac posrietay
tobe inone'sinfaney | bye owas
poceatawe fa
equipment | sorcet, ype
owned | posiadary
onvenint | god,
previous | wczesnis:
captured | vchuyeony
toallow sto do sth | coral kemué na
z/robiene crogos
twafford sth | méc
r using specialist equipment, ow!
Post Mortern Photography
‘What did Victorians
pry
Peet tars
eee arts
oncein a fetime opportunity | zycowackazia
plague
lite expetaney | szacowana dugost
reassurance | ugewnen si pownnie
atte | 2yclepozagrbowe
earthy | zest
factor | ceynnik
deceased | sma
relative | kceuny
I plaga,zarara tua
In Victorian Britain the art of photography was in its infancy. Single photos were taken,
ned by professional photographers. As a result, having
a photo taken was very expensive. However, it was a lot cheaper and more convenient
than the only previous way of having an image captured: a painted portrait.
bodies were sometimes ving peace-
fully surrounded by fers, bt more
commonly they were made o appear
alive: they had eyes painted on their
tye nl were positioned intypical
Tite poses with favoured objecs and
possessions.
Even more disturbing for most
people today isthe lifelike comes
‘wer reali accompanied by family
embers creating a beyond he-gave
family poait. The practice was par
ticutarly common in cases of child
death, Here the body was normally
held in position hy the mother who
‘was hidden fom view bya blanket
These photos, which still exist,
are most bizarre and morbid to |
people today, but at the time they |
‘were something to love, cherish and
be proud of for the few who could
afford them, A situation almost
unthinkable to modern man, but
photos that in the Vietrin era, were
ones to die fr! 7
2 Yo appear | tu wydwat sie, wladat
eyelid | powieka
disturbing | regalo
corpse Laos
common | ponszechny
hide | ubey
bizzare | daca
‘morbid | iegokjacy, makabrycany
to cherish sth | cat, pohbe=a6
cnthinkable | niet pomysten
todieforsth | umierat za c08