Death Masks and Post-Mortem Photos

When looking at death masks available for sale, realize they may not be originals, and make sure they are actually death masks.

For example, there is a mask of Abraham Lincoln that is often called a death mask that was really made when he was alive, a year or so before his death.

After finding the photographs I mentioned in the introduction (some similar to those pictured below) and searching to see if such things sold on eBay, I was amazed to see how many pictures there were, and what I learned just by visiting the pictures. It made me wonder how many times I had sold a photo in the past that was post-mortem without knowing it.

For example, often a soldier would be dressed in uniform and would be posed in a standing position using a stand to prop him while the picture was taken; family members would be sitting as if posing for a family photo, but one of the members might be dead; a parent may be sitting holding a dead infant. These are only a few examples of what might sound strange to us, but was normal practice at one time.

You can most easily recognize a post mortem photo by looking closely with magnification at the eyes, looking for signs of a stand if the person is standing, looking at facial expression, and sometimes on Cabinet Card photos, the photographer information on the back will tell you the person specializes in death photos, as was the case in one of the pictures I had.

Be careful if shopping for these photos that they are authentic. Ask any questions of the seller ahead of time.