Postmortem Portrait Photography Analysis

The daguerreotype, titled as “Postmortem portrait: man and woman holding deceased baby” is dated 1840-1860 (photographer unidentified, Harvard University visual information access.) It’s a daguerreotype of a couple with their dead baby. The frame seems to be made of wood or leather but it’s unclear since it is worn-out but the inner frame of golden color looks like a honeycomb. There are spots at some place of daguerreotype making it unclear. The shape of the picture is semi-circle from the top and rectangle from the bottom. A frame of such high standard depicts high-value people put to photography at that time. The couple embalming their last moments with their deceased baby also works as evidence of how highly society at that time valued …show more content…
The man and woman are sitting at a distance, with the woman holding her baby in her arm while supporting the baby with her other hand. The man who is the father of the baby has his hands by himself. The man and woman are dressed in a black suit which seems to be expensive; expressing their financial status. Baby is wrapped in a white sheet of cloth. The expressions of the man and woman are pale in accordance with alas situation they are facing as a family. Upon closer inspection one could notice in the man’s eyes and overall expression that he is sad about the baby. Despite such a tragic event they want to capture this sad moment they are facing which clearly shows the importance of daguerreotype in depicting realism. A portrait or painting couldn’t have captured such raw emotions. It should be noted that daguerreotypes were not only used for self-portraits and other moments of joy but also to capture such tragic events; it is evident that photography played a major role in the