Deathbed Portrait, daguerreotype, mid 19th century. Currently held in a museum collection.
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Post-mortem photography was a type of post-mortem portraiture that became more commonplace with the invention of the daguerreotype. Nowadays we take it for granted to have pictures, voicemails and videos of people that passed, however back then none of these really were a possibility for families that lost someone dear to them, and a painted portrait of course wasn't exactly something the majority of people coult afford.
However the daguerreotype became the first type of photography that made it more affordable for the middle class to get their likeness taken, and so with it the trend of post-mortem portraiture continued. For many probably being their only chance to keep something tangible to remember their lost ones by.
The estimated time of death of Nomax would put him right into that first wave of daguerreotype portraiture, and thus it was something i was itching to explore.
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Post-mortem photography was a type of post-mortem portraiture that became more commonplace with the invention of the daguerreotype. Nowadays we take it for granted to have pictures, voicemails and videos of people that passed, however back then none of these really were a possibility for families that lost someone dear to them, and a painted portrait of course wasn't exactly something the majority of people coult afford.
However the daguerreotype became the first type of photography that made it more affordable for the middle class to get their likeness taken, and so with it the trend of post-mortem portraiture continued. For many probably being their only chance to keep something tangible to remember their lost ones by.
The estimated time of death of Nomax would put him right into that first wave of daguerreotype portraiture, and thus it was something i was itching to explore.
Category Artwork (Digital) / Portraits
Species Canine (Other)
Gender Male
Size 912 x 1280px
very well done Nomax... that is a piece of history I was not familiar with...
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Glad to educate! They could be even stranger at times, with family members included in the picture, or the deceased put in a chair so that they don't look all that dead. Which would have been interesting to make as well, but time constraints meant it'll be just a portrait.
I remember a tale of the British royalty and in the portrait the person was very pale... apparently they executed him and then realized there was no portrait so they sewed the head back on for the portrait...
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Man that’s really good
So detailed and life like
So detailed and life like
I did not expect to be learning about mid 19th century funeral tradition while browsing furry art today. Rather interesting.
Glad to educate! They could be even stranger at times, with family members included in the picture, or the deceased put in a chair so that they don't look all that dead. Which would have been interesting to make as well, but time constraints meant it'll be just a portrait.
I remember seeing some of these more unnerving examples in an art history course.
This portrait turned out great. It would've been really neat to learn a bit more about your character's (canon) social circle through a group portrait though.
This portrait turned out great. It would've been really neat to learn a bit more about your character's (canon) social circle through a group portrait though.
Trust me, i would love to expand on it all. But aaaaahhhh, timeeeee! Maybe in a year or two i'll finally have the ability to put more time aside.
Yes, but someone loved him enough to pay for the Daguerreotype.
Portraiture like this survived in rural areas after it passed out of fashion. Since Infant and child mortality was common, daguerreotype portraits were often commissioned with Family members posed around the dressed, child corpse who was propped up or even seated. Eerily, the eyes would often be taped open.
All in all, when one's time is up. How one is remembered varies with the times. Even today's digital world, comes this article from Pew Research.
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-ta.....e-after-death/
All in all, when one's time is up. How one is remembered varies with the times. Even today's digital world, comes this article from Pew Research.
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-ta.....e-after-death/
Yeah, i played with the idea of doing one of the odder versions of it, propped in a chair with others around or something like that. But unfortunately i don't have all too much time for private pictures like this, so just a portrait it ended up being.
Very intriguing! I love exploration of peculiar or forgotten facets of history!
It's super fun! Actually makes it reather tough to like decide on one particular time in history. There's just sooooo much! But alas i don't like a character time traveling, so a cut had to be made :')
Reminds me Peter The Great portrait :) somehow it stuck in my head for a long time after art history lessons. Great artwork you did here :)
Yep the resting in bet was a pretty common way it was done, even before in painted portraiture.
awn looks so peaceful. also spooky because of the creepy nature of the story behind it 0_0
Those are the most fun pictures. The ones that just take a moment to fully read. :D
i like to see this as Nomax's deathbed because of old age :D he looks so peaceful with his gray hair :) awesomely done Nomax!
A friend collects two interesting kinds of early photography: stereoscope photos (daguerreotypes, tintypes and printed cards) -- and postmortem photographs.
That's a pretty cool hobby to be honest. Early photography in general is just super fascinating. I think we in general kind of think of the 1900s as the beginning of image taking, but it's quite astonishing just what kind of pictures were taken much earlier on already.
Photography is something I've been meaning to get into, and with all things, I'm interested in history. I've always been in love with your work and this piece is as good as the last (if not better)!
On a side note, seeing this picture makes me think of those old photos one would take in a Hospital after countless remedies to treat things like "Consumption", Malaria, Spanish Flu, Scarlet fever.
On a side note, seeing this picture makes me think of those old photos one would take in a Hospital after countless remedies to treat things like "Consumption", Malaria, Spanish Flu, Scarlet fever.
Well, it certainly suits the time of the year! To be honest, at first it actually looked like a photo!
Haha yeah, it actually was scheduled to be uploaded after what is now the next picture. But figured that hey, this is pretty close to halloween and somewhat related so might as well nudge it ahead. :D
I remember seeing these in an book that was preserved and always found it haunting and in some way charming. Considering mortality rates were often high back then and the only memento you would have the passed loved one was one final photograph before they are cremated or buried.
Mhm, people nowadays tend to think of them as morbid and strange, but really in the context of the time they made sense. Especially so for the children, where the chance for any other photo of them was very small usually.
Another aspect was the distance and time to travel. With large families spread out across multiple states, and the only means of transportation was either by train or by horse and buggy (at a whopping 15 mph, along muddy and dirt roads), when a loving father or esteemed mother passed away, it could have been impossible for many of the family to travel the long distance to make it to a funeral.
Add in the fact that one could not simply wait around until everyone was able to make it over, especially when it could take a month or more to travel the distance needed. Even with embalming, you still only had a certain amount of time before bodies got 'ripe'. Without embalming, funerals were often "next day affairs".
Daguerrotypes and ambrotypes were taken of the deceased to send to loved ones who could not make it to those funerals so that they could say their "goodbyes" in their own way, as well as have something left of their loved one to remember them by. For many, across long distances, it could be the last thing they may have of their father, mother, sister, brother, aunt, or uncle..
A forgotten piece of history.. In our day and age with the internet, cell phones, modern vehicles with highways and 70-80mph speed limits, modern air travel.. one can make it to a funeral pretty easy (barring other extenuating circumstances).
Twas not so easy 150 years ago...
Add in the fact that one could not simply wait around until everyone was able to make it over, especially when it could take a month or more to travel the distance needed. Even with embalming, you still only had a certain amount of time before bodies got 'ripe'. Without embalming, funerals were often "next day affairs".
Daguerrotypes and ambrotypes were taken of the deceased to send to loved ones who could not make it to those funerals so that they could say their "goodbyes" in their own way, as well as have something left of their loved one to remember them by. For many, across long distances, it could be the last thing they may have of their father, mother, sister, brother, aunt, or uncle..
A forgotten piece of history.. In our day and age with the internet, cell phones, modern vehicles with highways and 70-80mph speed limits, modern air travel.. one can make it to a funeral pretty easy (barring other extenuating circumstances).
Twas not so easy 150 years ago...
Yep exactly, it's super fascinating, and thank you very very much for expanding on it as well!
Always a pleasure if someone can add something that i didn't think of at the time and round off my own knowledge. :)
Always a pleasure if someone can add something that i didn't think of at the time and round off my own knowledge. :)
A seldom seen subject, done quite well too! Lovely job with that antiquated, weathered look of the image--you can easily mistake it as a photo of a photo from the thumbnail~
1) it's beautiful!
2) please don't die for your art, it's supposed to be just a figure of speech!
2) please don't die for your art, it's supposed to be just a figure of speech!
Alas, poor Nomax. He was a good boy.
Sometimes even a photo likeness isn't personal enough--like a portrait painter, the camera can only depict an interpretation, an aspect of the subject. Oscar Wilde was well known for keeping an envelope carrying strands of his departed sister Isola's hair 'til his own death, as one of his few remaining belongings. Photography was available by 1867, and the elder Wildes could certainly have afforded the cost. In fact, what is believed to be a picture of young Isola has recently surfaced. Recently, as in published just last month:
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/.....ebay-1.4007619
None of which is intended as a counterargument, simply a sneaky way of segueing into the topic, since that era seems to be of interest to you.
Sometimes even a photo likeness isn't personal enough--like a portrait painter, the camera can only depict an interpretation, an aspect of the subject. Oscar Wilde was well known for keeping an envelope carrying strands of his departed sister Isola's hair 'til his own death, as one of his few remaining belongings. Photography was available by 1867, and the elder Wildes could certainly have afforded the cost. In fact, what is believed to be a picture of young Isola has recently surfaced. Recently, as in published just last month:
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/.....ebay-1.4007619
None of which is intended as a counterargument, simply a sneaky way of segueing into the topic, since that era seems to be of interest to you.
Yeah i'm sure there were plenty of ways of remembering, just as there are still today. A strand of hair i guess is pretty convenient as it doesn't take up much space and can be easily brought along everywhere, so i guess it does make sense as a remember-me.
Wow Nomax you absolutely nailed this! I love how you added the distressed look to it.
I'd have to ask my Grandmother about it but we actually have some post-mortem pictures from the 19th century that were passed down tucked away somewhere along with some other photos from that era.
I'd have to ask my Grandmother about it but we actually have some post-mortem pictures from the 19th century that were passed down tucked away somewhere along with some other photos from that era.
Oh that's a real cool little tidbit to have in the family collection! Very nice that they survived all that time. And thank you very much!
Very interesting piece with lovely details to make it look antique!
I'm familiar with this practice (and with some others that have similarly gone out of fashion). This still persists in some cultures, I have found, even in the western 1st world.
I'm familiar with this practice (and with some others that have similarly gone out of fashion). This still persists in some cultures, I have found, even in the western 1st world.
Thank you, and yeah, it's rare that some tradition disappears entirely. There's always some aspects that survive in some niche capacity.
Very interesting information, I had no idea of any of that. Must have suck to have had only a picture of the person in their last days as a reminder of their existance, though. Better than nothing.. ?
Fantastic art, as usual. I don't normally comment and instead prefer to favourite - in fact, I think this is the first time I've commented on a piece of yours? Point being, it's a very detailed and believable piece of art. You even painted the paper, and even that looks fantastic! Genuinely impressed.
Oh yeah uh F
Fantastic art, as usual. I don't normally comment and instead prefer to favourite - in fact, I think this is the first time I've commented on a piece of yours? Point being, it's a very detailed and believable piece of art. You even painted the paper, and even that looks fantastic! Genuinely impressed.
Oh yeah uh F
Thank you very much, glad i could finally burst that comment virginity. :') And yeah, certainly would've been better than nothing.
Wow...this one got a lot of reaction!
Where do I start? The daguerreotype effect is incredibly executed. I thought my eyes were tricking me at first. It's absolutely gorgeous.
I was about ten years old the first time I saw someone's mortal remains on display, and they were still wearing their glasses. For some reason I found that both really morbid and screamingly funny. I had to beat a retreat out of the funeral home before I cracked up in front of God and everyone.
Where do I start? The daguerreotype effect is incredibly executed. I thought my eyes were tricking me at first. It's absolutely gorgeous.
I was about ten years old the first time I saw someone's mortal remains on display, and they were still wearing their glasses. For some reason I found that both really morbid and screamingly funny. I had to beat a retreat out of the funeral home before I cracked up in front of God and everyone.
Thank you, and hah yeah gut reaction was to not put on the glasses at first, but figured that they're a bit too important for character identification :')
Also hopefully it'd get a similar reaction. Would be kind of boring if everyone's just sad about it, gotta get a few laughs mixed in at least. :D
Also hopefully it'd get a similar reaction. Would be kind of boring if everyone's just sad about it, gotta get a few laughs mixed in at least. :D
You executed this one perfectly; I took it in with a single glance and *got* it; everything you wrote about, everything you included, was all right there in the image. Great work, and your use of aging and damage on the image really added to the character of the piece.
Thank you very very much :) It's nice that a picture that i assume wouldn't do all that well given the theme of it is indeed working so well for many people! :D
This is very well done, and a wonderful idea for a picture. I think it's fun how the idea of the piece came out of your character's history.
It's uncommon for people to consider their character's deaths, especially like this: death as simply death, the unavoidable terminus, rather than dying in a way that completes a story or achieves something remarkable or is notably tragic.
I find it really changes my feelings about the character in ways that I haven't found words for.
(Of course, maybe Nomax died tragically while saving the world from his lifelong nemesis! But there's no hint of that in the picture :3 )
It's uncommon for people to consider their character's deaths, especially like this: death as simply death, the unavoidable terminus, rather than dying in a way that completes a story or achieves something remarkable or is notably tragic.
I find it really changes my feelings about the character in ways that I haven't found words for.
(Of course, maybe Nomax died tragically while saving the world from his lifelong nemesis! But there's no hint of that in the picture :3 )
Thank you, yeah while i of course do plan to have him be a little extraordinary as a character to some degree (after all, just having him work on a farm from morning till evening might get a bit boring quickly, so he's gotta have some opportunity to do what he does), but beyond that the goal is to keep things relatively mundane. So yep, it'll just be a death due to natural causes.
I'm happy that it achieved a notable effect and not just you but other people as well judging by the comments. That's all i could have hoped for! :)
I'm happy that it achieved a notable effect and not just you but other people as well judging by the comments. That's all i could have hoped for! :)
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