Lost In Plain Sight; Mourning Photography

JPK Huson 1863

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Feb 14, 2012
Location
Central Pennsylvania
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This could be pre war- or a husband killed in the war. The widow's clothing spans 1861-1865, as does her hair.
Specifically, the rending type we all probably skip over rather than spend time with. Widows, sometimes children holding soldier's photographs . Indistinct, we generally are permitted outline of kepi, knap sack and boots. Were we not, a widow's ravaged face would tell us all we needed to know.

A mourning ritual, if not common at least in evidence prewar, this poignant memorial sure seems peculiarly chosen as perfect for those awful years. Frantically buried under far-flung fields of battle or hastily left in lonely graves by the side of the road, as was one of my uncles, David Steigerwalt, at Goose Creek, men who walked through doors mere months earlier would never be found. ( My uncle was miraculously found when a kind woman, browsing Gettysburg's Special Collections, noticed a hand drawn map in a soldier's diary. She tracked me down on Ancestry. 150 years later- our family found Pvt. David Steigerwalt. Dead of disease, Goose Creek, Virginia. )

These touching ' post mortems ' paid tribute to men no one knew how to say goodby to.

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Gosh. God bless her.


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The most famous of this genre, for obvious reasons.

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1850's, a family portrait inclusive of their dead child. Probably not a mourning photograph, interestingly. The era produced sticklers for social fine points- mourning was one. Mother is not wearing mourning.

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This is a little awful. Woman, right, next to soldier is also holding photo of soldier. A brother already lost? Husband? Her face is both sad and bewildered, sitting next to a soldier in whose arm she is nesting.

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One child is holding a soldier doll- the other an envelope. I do not mean to unravel this mystery by jumping o conclusions- but.... . Ouch.

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His widow- as is obvious, I snipped the description from LoC. You just cannot put what you see in her face, into words.

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Pre-war, the family before this wife and mother died placed carefully next to those she left behind- and who treasured her.

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Also pre war, an eerie, odd presentation for a couple who lost a child. Does she seem accusatory?

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I'd thought this a book. It's a case, albeit closed. We're left wondering if perhaps the loss was so fresh she could not bear it, seeing the image.

Still combing LoC and NYPL for these moments in Time. They're important even if we do not know who most are- life during those years inclusive of so, so much loss. We can never know what it was like but we can listen when try to tell us.
 
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This is a wonderful portrait! Thanks @JPK Huson 1863 for posting it!

She is holding a full plate (6 1/2" X 8 1/2") image of her late husband. They were rare and expensive in the 1860's. They are even rarer and more expensive in 2017.

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Very impressive photo. In that case it is she who has the 1000 yards stare ...

@Eleanor Rose:

This woman is holding an album which contain CDV images. They were popular and came in various sizes.

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Wow, I have a nearly identical one of these albums. I bought it as a teen for 50 D-Mark in an antique store and never knew what it was. Thank you!
 
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Also pre war, an eerie, odd presentation for a couple who lost a child. Does she seem accusatory?


This has to be one of the creepiest photos (definitely in the top 3) I have ever seen. :bat::bat::eek::spider::spider::bat::bat:


Yes, this worried me quite a bit, too. It had to have worried the bejammers out of the photographer, no? " You wish to..... er, what? " No identifier or believe me, I'd track them down. We could guess- who knows, the poor man may have brought home a cold. In those days that was enough to sound doom to a baby. Or was driving the carriage when it over turned or was unlucky in the 1,000's of the ways one could be, caring for an infant. Or he did nothing and she just, plain has it in her head someone must take the hit.
 
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