This image from c. 1900-1909 is more typical than the last in its composition. Most postmortem portraits that featured the survivors depicted them posed around the casket of the deceased loved one.

It is very common to find such scenes posed in front of the family home. Rural families often relied on the services of itinerant photographers who worked independently of studios. Along with family portraits and postmortem mementos, one of the common services these travelling photographers offered were home portraits.

Credit: Fred Hultstrand History in Pictures Collection, NDIRS-NDSU, Fargo, ND

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