Find out more about the Victorian obsession with the photography of death with this short film from the BBC. Interviewees include Dr Kelley Wilder, director of the Photographic History Research Centre in Leicester.
See: https://www.bbc.com/ideas/videos/the-curious-era-of-death-photography/p066vrf0
Comments
Disappointing commentary, and poor or non-existent analysis of the photographs chosen to illustrate the theme. One example - the cdv of Daniele Manin, is meaningless when taken out of its historical context. The leader of the Venetian revolt against the Austrians, his subsequent exile, and the return of the (hero's) ashes to Venice made Manin (and this image) a potent symbol of national loss. Some of the comments - 'a side line for a rainy day,' and (Victorian) 'soldiers taking their own cameras to war' - are, frankly, ridiculous.