97. Momento Mori - Postmortem Photography

Explicit content warning

02/12/25 • 22 min

So, it’s no secret that the Victorian era was a macabre time by today’s standards, which is why it’s our favorite time period. Mortality rates were high, and diseases were rampant. So people of that day and age were quite familiar with the concept of death, and they had a much different relationship with death than we do today. They came up with creative ways to remember their passed loved ones; one of those ways being post mortem photography to immortalize their loved ones...after they had already died (hence the post mortem part). For many people in this time, post mortem portraits were their first experience with photography. This new technology allowed them a way to immortalize their dead loved ones, many of whom had never been photographed when they were alive.

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Editing/Producing: @yunkjunk

References: https://www.britannica.com/technology/daguerreotype

https://allthatsinteresting.com/victorian-death-photos

https://historytimemachine.com/victorian-post-mortem-how-death-was-immortalized-in-photos/

Instagram: @insidethemorguepod

YouTube: @insidethemorgue

Email us show suggestions: [email protected]

Editing/Producing: @yunkjunk

References: https://www.britannica.com/technology/daguerreotype

https://allthatsinteresting.com/victorian-death-photos

https://historytimemachine.com/victorian-post-mortem-how-death-was-immortalized-in-photos/

Previous Episode

96. A Bone? OH MY GOD

In this episode, Jess and Alice are once again wow’ed by Bones and her team and all of their main character energy. This episode has it all from fires to murders to anthropology.

Dr Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist who works at the Jeffersonian Institution and also writes books, has an impressive ability to read clues from victims' bones. Consequently, law enforcement calls her to assist with investigations when remains are so badly decomposed, burned or destroyed that standard identification methods are useless. Brennan often finds herself teamed with Special Agent Seeley Booth, a former Army sniper, who mistrusts science and scientists when it comes to solving crimes but who has developed respect for Brennan, both professionally and personally.

Show information: Bones S10 Ep5 The Corpse at the Convention

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Producer/editor Dylan: @yunkjunk

References:https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61786575

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Daniel_Brophy

Next Episode

98. Murderous Priests

In this episode, Jess and Alice take an even deeper dive into exorcisms and demons with Criminal Minds. They explore the case of Robbie Doe, who was a victim of demonic possession and whose story inspired The Exorcist.

An elite squad of FBI profilers analyzes the country's most-twisted criminal minds, anticipating the perpetrators' next moves before they can strike again. Each member of the "mind hunter" team brings his or her expertise to pinpoint predators' motivations and identify emotional triggers to stop them. The core group includes an official profiler who is highly skilled at getting into the minds of criminals, a quirky genius, the former media liaison who manages to adeptly balance family life and the job, and a computer wizard.

Episode Information: Criminal Minds S4 Ep 17 Demonology

Instagram: @insidethemorguepod

YouTube: @insidethemorgue

Email us show suggestions: [email protected]

Editing/Producing: @yunkjunk

References: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Schmidt_(priest)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exorcism_of_Roland_Doe