Nicolo Requiestas
UNKNOWN PHOTOGRAPHER, "Father and Mother Holding a Dead Child"
1850s-1860s, daguerreotype
This Daguerreotype is an example of Victorian post-mortem photography, the subject being a family with a dead infant. It was a common practice and not considered morbid or creepy at the time, though it illustrates the era's high infant-mortality rate. Since the Daguerreotype was new, many families did not practice the process until after their children died, hoping that one picture eternalized their short lives. In all honesty, I believe this picture is more fascinating than others that attempt to emit a more philosophical meaning behind them. It's a simple, family keepsake that reminds me of my grandfather's passing and my mother's regret of not having a recent photo with him, as he lived in another state and visits were infrequent. From seeing her reaction, I recognized the importance of family photos. Now, whenever we travel somewhere, we seldom take pictures of an empty area; our family fills that void.
The "Daguerreotype" was invented by Louis Daguerre and Nicephore Niepce in the 1830s, produced by polishing a silver plate, iodizing it, taking a long exposure with it through a pinhole camera, fuming the plate with mercury, and then fixing/framing it. Many Daguerreotypes that followed this strict process have transcended the test of time and reside in perfect condition; a fitting outcome for the family photos.
" 'Mr. Hannington was so terribly grieved at having no photo or memorial of any kind of the bairn,' Mrs. Ewing's impulsive kindness came to the rescue: 'This gave me something to do, for I slipped into the room where the coffin was, and made a sketch of the poor little face in its coffin and with flowers at its feet…, and I sent it to her. She was very much pleased, I believe.' "
–Juliana Horatia Ewing (Henish 179)
