A REAL Post- Mortem photograph

Posted here is an actual NO DOUBT Post Mortem (PM) of an older man with a book (Bible?).

Photograph is a carte de visite and can be dated from AUG 1864- JUL 1866 due to the revenue stamp on the back.
Subject was photograhed by Styles in Burlington, VT.

I see photographs identified as pm, with some regularity online and a large percentage of them depict LIVING people!

Forget all you have read about "cadaver stands" and standing post- mortems. A POSING stand is NOT an indication of a post mortem-- in fact it is used to hold the subject's head still. Posing stands are too flimsy to hold up even a child's body, much less an adult.

Evaluate the subject of the photograph and the pose. IF the subject looks alive with eyes open, then the subject IS ALIVE!

Closed eyes, sunken eyes and cheeks and evidence of rigor are all indicators of a pm. Poses where the subject is laying down MAY be a pm.

In my experience, images of young children and babies are probably the hardest to evaluate. Remember-- the baby might just be sleeping in the mother's arms. Clues of the mother's expression and clothing (mourning) may give an indication of a pm.