Born2Sew

I can understand taking photos of a deceased newborn, so that the mother won't forget what her child looked like.
Other than that, nope. I've never wanted to be cremated, but lately thinking seriously about doing so.

Posting those type of photos on facebook is just shameful I think. I would be appalled if my family did that.

ljorange

Amen. People today are afraid of death and in the old days they had to deal with it much more often and accept it. My gr-grandmother also had photos of a triple funeral in the family (3 youngsters drowned), not of the caskets but of the procession and gravestones. I gleaned a lot of genealogical info from the photos.

AnnaK

I don't know where the custom of taking pictures of the dead started but the first time I came across this was about 15 years ago when a co-worker passed away. One of the other co-workers was German and she offered to take the pictures; no one took her up on the offer but she is a well-known photographer and does beautiful work. So, I surmised that it was a German custom. There's actually a name for this and quite a bit of info online: momento mori.

I agree that grief is one of those things that people deal with in a very personal way. Can't imagine anyone putting an image like that on FB but to each his /her own.

Izaquilter

I saw a picture my Grandmother had of some "old man in a casket' when I was a little kid. It looked like a professional photographer had done it. Then when my mother died here in my home, in my hands, they placed her in a QUILTED BODY BAG. Yes a quilted body bag. It was very beautiful & I to this day wish I could have gotten a picture of it. My last memory is of my mom, wrapped in a beautiful blue & white star quilt. She would have loved to have known that. She was always so proud of my quilting until she got sick.

MaryStoaks

My ( Irish, Wisconsin ) family had 3 day wakes in the Parlor and lots of visitors, eating, drinking, laughing and crying. All this and pictures taken of the deceased ( my father and GGF that I remember) as he lay in the casket proped-up right there in the parlor. My mom had some of the pictures but never displayed them. I want to be cremated and no pictures or funeral.