Photos of the dead

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I work in museums and have always been fascinated with photos of the dead. In the 1800s people could not afford to get pictures done of themselves. Most people only had one time when they had their photo taken and it was usually after their death. Family members of the deceased would prop up the dead in chairs or on a bed and take their picture and creat a family album of deceased relatives and family members. They wanted to remember the deseased person as alive is why they propped them up and made them look more alive in the photos.