Grave Portraits
Saturday, April 12th, 2008
Holy Cross Cemetery, Yeadon, PA, just outside of Philadelphia, in the Italian section. It’s a photograph glazed onto ceramics. The dates are in the 1920′s, close to a century in the weather and they are still sharp and unfaded. I haven’t been able to find any definitive information on the photo- transfer technique used back then, one possibility is silk screen. Not all information is on the first couple of pages of a Google search. But FORGOTTEN FACES: A WINDOW INTO OUR IMMIGRANT PAST has this: “an artisan fashioned a photograph from gold, platinum and iridium alloys and fired it onto an enamel surface. A portrait made in this way can survive in a cemetery for well over 100 years.” Today it can be done with a laser printer.
Something is eating into this one, but note that the rest of the image is still unfaded.
This one is heartbreaking.
The grave portraits are really fascinating. Nice shot.
Yeah, old photos are magic, bringing you back to that place and time.
The grave portraits are really fascinating. Nice shot.
Yeah, old photos are magic, bringing you back to that place and time.
This series is just amazing.
Yeah, I was happy with what I got as well.
This series is just amazing.
Yeah, I was happy with what I got as well.
wow… these are intense.
wow… these are intense.
Yeah. I almost feel like searching out more of them in local cemeteries.
Yeah. I almost feel like searching out more of them in local cemeteries.