Communities of Death
Bradford, Adam C.
To 21st century readers, 19th century depictions of death look macabre if not maudlin - the mourning portraits and quilts, the postmortem daguerreotypes, and the memorial jewelry now hopelessly, if not morbidly, distressing. Yet this sentimental culture of mourning and memorialising provided opportunities to the bereaved to assert deeply held beliefs, forge social connections, and advocate for social and political change. This culture also per...