There has been a fair amount of work on post-mortem or funeral photography. One of the best sources that I am aware of is <br><br>Jay Ruby, <font size="2"><i><span id="btAsinTitle" style="">Secure the Shadow: Death and Photography in America</span></i></font><i>,</i>(Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1999)<br>
<br>More in a little while.<br>Rodney<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Oct 29, 2008 at 8:50 AM, Hobbs, Catherine <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:catherine.hobbs@lac-bac.gc.ca">catherine.hobbs@lac-bac.gc.ca</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Judith's message brought to mind an interview with Joan Schwartz (no<br>
doubt some of you know the programme/new item I'm refering to, but I<br>
can't remember) where she discusses her study of 19thC portraits taken<br>
of dead children. She discusses the way in which these portraits were<br>
taken by studio photographers shortly after the death and how they<br>
functioned as reminders to the Victorians who had a different sense of<br>
memorialization.<br>
<br>
If any of you know of an article on the topic we'll add it to the<br>
citations relating to the discussion. (By the way, I've been meaning to<br>
mention that: we'll be aiming to compile the citations for the<br>
discussion).<br>
<br>
Best,<br>
<br>
Catherine<br>
<br>
<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: <a href="mailto:personal_archives-bounces@mailman.yale.edu">personal_archives-bounces@mailman.yale.edu</a><br>
[mailto:<a href="mailto:personal_archives-bounces@mailman.yale.edu">personal_archives-bounces@mailman.yale.edu</a>] On Behalf Of Judith<br>
Colwell<br>
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 3:04 PM<br>
To: Archives; <a href="mailto:Personal_archives@mailman.yale.edu">Personal_archives@mailman.yale.edu</a><br>
Subject: Re: [Personal_archives] personal archives<br>
<br>
The photos that we have in a church archvies, amid personal papers, are<br>
often taken to back up a report or to put a face on a church -- hence<br>
alumninum souvenir plates and postcards showing the image of the<br>
minister and of the church exterior. In some circles these would be art<br>
forms -- after all the engraving on the aluminum or tin took some skill.<br>
Then the question arises asking whether the church was as stern as the<br>
minister, or was the minister pushing an image that he thought the<br>
church wanted.<br>
<br>
As to pictures of funerals, etc. -- depends on the geographic area in<br>
question. I have some photos of people laid out in their caskets which<br>
appear to be part of a culture. And I vividly recall, from back in the<br>
late 1950's a schoolmate with her album of photos of her mother in<br>
casket and the funeral. Creepy to me, but ....<br>
<br>
Judith Colwell<br>
----- Original Message -----<br>
From: "Archives" <<a href="mailto:archives@trinity.utoronto.ca">archives@trinity.utoronto.ca</a>><br>
To: <<a href="mailto:Personal_archives@mailman.yale.edu">Personal_archives@mailman.yale.edu</a>><br>
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 3:07 PM<br>
Subject: [Personal_archives] personal archives<br>
<br>
<br>
Hello all,<br>
<br>
Reading the articles I have been struck by the universality of the<br>
'snapshot' experience, how we all know the rules of picture-taking and<br>
viewing. First we know that although the picture captures a real moment,<br>
it is also a projection of an idealized life. Secondly, we know that<br>
much is hidden - hence the sadness that Barthes refers to and which I<br>
would argue goes beyond the realization that the subject may be dead.<br>
<br>
Chambers refers to the feminine character of snapshot taking and album<br>
making, and points out that despite this female perspective there are no<br>
pictures of housework. Taking this one step further, there are also no<br>
pictures of screaming infants, two-year-olds having a tantrum, sullen<br>
teen-agers screaming "I hate you!". There are no pictures of sick-beds<br>
or funerals. The family album or photo collection presents a world<br>
without pain. Since most of us have personal experience with the<br>
phenomenon of family albums, we instinctively do not buy into this, and<br>
realize that the mythology created is unrealistic and to some extent,<br>
banal. Could the family album be seen as the visual equivalent of the<br>
Christmas letter?<br>
<br>
In an archival context, we find the pictures complemented and completed<br>
by other elements in a fonds: a file of condolence cards, doctor's<br>
bills, diaries recording private anguish, letters containing an<br>
outpouring of emotion. And they are certainly useful, as Catherine<br>
points out, for identification purposes.<br>
<br>
Martha asks the fundamental question: "is everyday photographic<br>
experience transferrable to art?" I'd argue that it is and that the<br>
artist has the same mandate as the archivist. The historic photograph on<br>
its own is nearly meaningless, and thus it requires either<br>
transformation (by an artist) or contextualization (by an archivist) to<br>
make it 'real'. It's function during the lifetime of its subjects, and<br>
perhaps for a generation after, is to follow a path that has been<br>
tacitly approved by its viewing public. After that, it's fair game for<br>
us!<br>
<br>
Thanks, Catherine, Martha et al. for making this happen.<br>
<br>
Sylvia<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
----- Original Message ----<br>
From: Alison Nordstrom <<a href="mailto:anordstrom@geh.org">anordstrom@geh.org</a>><br>
To: <a href="mailto:Personal_archives@mailman.yale.edu">Personal_archives@mailman.yale.edu</a><br>
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 9:40:51 AM<br>
Subject: [Personal_archives] (re-sent) first thoughts of the morning<br>
<br>
I'm curious about who's lurking here. I suspect we have archivists,<br>
curators and students who may do any number of things in the future.<br>
Strikes me that we might have very different notions and working<br>
definitions of "family photograph." Can we share?<br>
<br>
I tend to say various things like "a photograph used in the family as a<br>
metaphor for that family, an ideological device that defines family, a<br>
statement both internally directed and externally directed that<br>
manifests an ideal, a record of a family."<br>
<br>
How do these past uses cling to a photograph ( or group of photographs)<br>
as it/they moves away from original use?<br>
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</blockquote></div><br>