Oh, I think it is indeed a post-mortem photo. The "light" is gone from his eyes. There's also an odd pale spot on the top of his right ear, which may be part of the wired head support. I would presume he's shoe-less because of post-mortem swelling (blood pooling to the lowest point), making it so his shoes wouldn't fit. The legs and feet are kind of washed out in that photo, shadowed. I'm not sure if it was just choice lighting, or if the photographer altered it during developing. Either way, I think the photographer did that on purpose to hide the stand. But I think I see a hint of a circle under/behind his feet, the base of the stand.
And last, I think the older daughter (your aunt) is leaning so far over because her left arm is on the other side of the supports. It looks a bit awkward, sure, but this way, all four heads are charmingly balanced. It is lovely. All in all, I think the photographer did an amazing job. I'm glad "light" spots weren't brushed into it...those always make it obvious! On Wed, Jan 14, 2015 at 10:07 PM, Penny Ladnier <pe...@costumegallery.com> wrote: > I'll open a can of worms. I have a photo of my Dad and his siblings from > 1912 http://www.costumegallery.com/kids2.jpg . The little boy in this > front > is he postmortem or handicapped. He passed away in 1912. I have always > thought the belt around him was odd and being shoeless. My Dad told me > once > that his mother was very strict and would not allow them to go around > barefooted. Last week I was dusting the photo's frame and gave it a hard > look and thought it might be postmortem. > > Penny Ladnier, Owner > The Costume Gallery Websites, www.costumegallery.com > Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCostumeGallery > > _______________________________________________ > h-costume mailing list > h-costume@mail.indra.com > http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume > _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
