"The Strangest Tradition of the Victorian Era: Post-Mortem Photography"

• Painting dead people was common for centuries, so it's no surprise that, in the Victorian Era, post-mortem photos also came into fashion.
• Because of the high childhood and infant mortality rate, this was a significant way [of] memorializing lost family members. In some cases, this was the only photograph that depicted the entire family together.

You can view a fascinating collection of photos here.