November 26, 2004

  • memento mori

    i've been fascinated by these for a little while now. i found a site that had an extensive archive of photos from the book Sleeping Beauty II: Grief, Bereavement in Memorial Photography American and European Traditions. unfortunately, the site shut their archive down due to some unknown event involving one of the book's authors. this is where i first saw them, these unblinking looks into the face of mortality. these photos haunt me in so many ways. i see a balance in them, a precarious, precious balance between remembrance and mourning, light and darkness, a delicate and intimate look into the eyes of the living. a delicate and intimate look into the eyes of the dead. a delicate and intimate look at the inevitable. there's beauty in these photographs, these staggeringly beautiful reminders of our own mayfly mortality.

    link:
    paul frecker collection

Comments (13)

  • I followed the link, and you are right about the haunting quality of the images--particularly of the children and infants.  They are so *still*, and are so small.

  • Wow. Those pictures are haunting.

  • very sad

  • Heartbreaking

  • I first heard/read about those memorial pictures a few years ago, and looked high and low for the first book, which of course I couldn't find. There's just something about them that I find beautiful.

  • Yeah, I know, which is why I gave up the hunt. But that link to the Frecker collection has some amazing photos.

  • i'm glad that's a lost tradition.

  • it won't show up on my comp...but morbidity sounds like my cup of tea.

  • nice to see someone love admiring the art in ones photography, as well as loving the art in performing it. I have no doubt that someday , somewhere, someone...if not already will be admiring your work as well, if not even more...

    I know that e.j and myself do already!

  • stunning and incredible! i have wondered about the taking pictures of those we loved in their death- truly an odd custom in america today- you forget that things have changed... humm....

  • Yes they are beautiful.

  • have you come across one called "Cupid Awake" and "Cupid Asleep".  i found a print of it years ago at an auction and bought it.  it turns out that its quite an urban legend and is worth cash but i could never part with it.  it's just so beautiful.

  • phenomenal link.

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