The subject for this week is the morgue. Well.. not just morgues but places, in this case webpages, which deal with analysis of death. I am not exactly what I would call obsessed with the subject but I definately have a fascination with the realities and the visions of death. As with many subjects Americans in particular have attached a stigma to visions of death, but on the web... death "lives"

In case you didn't know people in the 1800's used to take memorial photographs of their dead loved ones. I rather like the idea of it. The pictures are rather odd because in some cases it is hard to tell if the subjects are really gone. In other cases the artifice of proping up the body is painfully appearant.

The ethereal quality of the images comes partially because of phtographic processes of the day. Many of these memorial photos were daguerrotypes. Every daguerrotype I've ever seen has reminded me of a vision of a phantom appearing in a mirror before my very eyes. Here is a daguerrotype which I own (I assume the girl was alive when it was taken.)

Well the tradition of taking pictures of the dead continues in a slightly less illustrious fashion. While not for the faint of heart there is something to be said for finally satitating your curiosity of what a person looks like just after being hit by a car. Or maybe you are more interested in the causes of death.

If all this reality isn't your bag go to your local Natural History Museum. There is no better morgue for examining life and death. They try to make it seem like innocent fun, but think about it, what are they really doing when they create those diorammas? Or maybe you would like a little musical entertainment. Anyway, I suggest going to your favorite search engine or bookstore and finding out more about the darker side of life.

Good Day,
-riea