I saw an exhibit at one of the local museums years ago which
consisted of pictures of the dead in repose in their open coffins. It
seemed really macabre at the time, but the explanation was
reasonable. They were called "memento mori", about 4 inches by 6
inches and very common in eastern Europe. It explained that due to
the difficulties of travel even during the early 20th century and the
need for quick burial they were taken primarily as documents of the
deceased for those who could not attend and for those having
difficulty with accepting the death. They provided for psychological
closure for a life ended. The sad part was that they were mostly
children.
Not the same as "covering" a funeral like a wedding, but probably has
the same "memento mori" purpose.
Winsor
Long Beach, California, USA
On Jan 23, 2007, at 1:27 PM, Wayne Culberson wrote:
> I've only ever been asked to take pictures of one deceased person,
> and that
> was of my wife's dad, almost 20 years ago, at the funeral home. I
> really
> didn't like doing it at the time, and certainly didn't keep any
> pictures for
> myself. I have several I took of him when he was alive, which are
> much nicer
> :-).
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