A Graveyard in Asheville

Over the course of 20 years Steven and Mary DeGenaro accumulated a sizeable collection of postmortem portraits from estate sales, auctions and other collectors. Donated by Steve DeGenaro between 2010 and 2012, these images are now a permanent collection of the California Museum of Photography. Postmortem portraiture is the practice of photography of the recently deceased. In the late 19th century postmortem photography became quite popular and remained so throughout the 20th century. The traditions and styles of postmortem photography is the main focus of the exhibit BUT NOT FORGOTTEN. Selected photographs for the exhibit were organized and displayed in similar groups and on several walls and in freestanding cases throughout the third floor of the museum. A brief description, name of photographer (if known), date (if known) and print process / format were displayed on the wall and preceded each group of images. AT REST, represents the traditions and compositional styles that were common in early postmortem photographs. OUT OF THE CASE, INTO THE CASKET focuses on the first paper based photographs, in addition to the new styles in composition. PERSONAL DETAILS shows the viewer a group of images with a personal touch and POSTMORTEMS ABROAD depicts images from Latin America and Europe.

For item number 7, as I searched for picture of gravestones online, I noticed that it’s more common for gravestones to have “Beloved wife of…”, rather than “Beloved husband of…”. I think that is phrase goes back to the idea of traditional marriage and the roles females took in the relationship. For a very long time, females were described as in being in the shadows of the husband or being dependent on them. I think that “Beloved wife of…”demonstrates that that person did have a husband, and someone to care for. Even after death, it demonstrates her loyalty to her partner. For males, I actually noticed that some commonly said, “Beloved husband, and father”, and not necessarily address a wife’s name. The last few times that I have visited

Unlike a grave site memorial, which marks where a body is burried, roadside memorials shows where a person died abruptly and unpredictably. When we see one, we get curious automatically and ask what might have happened in that place. Perhaps the basic reaction that we give when we see a roadside memorial is enough to understand its purpose and tolerate its presence when we are on the road. However, Some of the usual arguments that people post in opposing the presence of these memorials are dangerous distractions for drivers, illegal displays of religious symbols and it constitute the taking of public property for private purposes (Tiernan, 2009). I would like to argue all these arguments as I believe that the relevance of memorials outweighs all these concerns.

It must have been 13 years or so since I have been to the art museum, back in elementary school, on a one of a kind field trip. 13 years is way too long to have been away from the art museum, as my experience this year reminded me that. It was a beautiful, sunny October day, although it felt like July, and it was an even better day to talk a walk through the vast, mesmerizing pieces of art that the museum has to offer. The North Carolina Museum of Art provides an abundance of artwork from various time periods, cultures, and one can find art anywhere from Egyptian, to classical, to modern and contemporary art. The artwork that the museum provides not only displays an abundance of artwork, but

The graves of many famous people are at Arlington Nationel Cemetary. It did not start out that way. In 1861, a Confederate General and his wife owned the house and the land. That General was Robert E. Lee. His house was across the river from Washington, D.C. The Union Army took over the land at the start of the Civil War. Union soldiers that were killed in the war was buried near the house. These soldiers were poor. Their families could not pay for them to be buried. Arlington was called a "potter's field." A potters field is a place where poor or unknown people are buried. After the war, something odd started to happen. Union officers asked to be buried at Arlington. They wanted to be near those men who had been in the war with them. Americans

There are beauties unknown deep in the ground of Concordia. Stories that have been altered over the course of time and history that has tailgated behind these tombstones of deceased bodies. Gunfighters who thought they would rule the world were slain by the scythe of death. They were once owners of land, beholders of beauty, famous gun ringers, loving family members, and burdened veterans of war. Concordia Cemetery, the land that once gave birth to crops now lays burdened with the segregation of death, where even then people were all divided by their race, credentials, ethnicity and even gender. Gunfighters were caged underneath their tombstones where people were sure that they wouldn’t rise again.

For both members of the Native American and African American communities the disturbance of the remains of those believed to be their ancestors might represent not only a spiritual upset but also a further example of racial and cultural discrimination (Sayer, 2010: 71). In addition, failure to properly connect with the two communities led to members of both communities voicing their feelings of discontent over issues of civil rights and discrimination. Thus, as a result of the failure to communicate and reach a common ground in both cases led to the many costly and lengthy legal battles. In both scenarios, the human remains that were uncovered became a political symbol that was used by both parties. Once this happens, there issue of how to

Put together a list of reasons, not emotions, of why this is not a doable idea. Go to the next meeting with a group of supports and state your case. If they hold meetings like Marietta does, everyone is given time to speak to the board. Check the city web site for the Kennesaw rules.

Cemeteries intrigue me, and Oakland is no exception to this interest. After years of constant bypassing the cemetery in route to school, I first decided to visit around September of my junior year, and explored the entire cemetery for the next two days. I was immediately infatuated, and have returned 5 more times since then. Throughout my tour I was able to view the beautiful statues, weathered graves, and memorial that held a surplus of information about the social statuses of these individuals, their struggles, and ancestry.

Walk among the beautifully detailed iron trellises, exquisite gardens, and colorful palettes of both painted houses and businesses with a local guide in an friendly small group setting for a 2-hour tour of New Orleans to view the Architectural style changes of the eras of its occupants through time and dig up the details about the ancient, mysterious Lafayette Cemetery No. 1.

Ms. Gray started this project without knowing that it was an African American cemetery and started to clean it up because it was a place that she visited as a young child and was in ruins even back then. For the past year, she took it upon herself to resort the neglect cemetery by recruiting volunteers and even started a nonprofit organization to keep the effort going. Ms. Gray has become attached to the cemetery stating “I know them by their names. They’ve become my family, they were people who lived among us. They deserve respect, especially the veterans.”(Wall Street Journal) She believes that she has shown

Large underground burial chambers hewn out of natural rock were a norm at Tarquinia. Mural paintings adorn many of these underground tombs. Banqueting couples, servants,and musicians celebrate the joys of the good life, and scenes of dancers occupy the flanking left and right walls. In characteristic Etruscan fashion, the banqueters, servants, and entertainers all make exaggerated gestures with unnaturally enlarged hands. Just like other tombs, this tomb is composed of a single chamber with wall decorations painted in fresco. Like other tombs of the time, this tomb’s ceiling is painted in a checkered scheme of alternating colors, perhaps meant to evoke the temporary fabric tents that were erected near the tomb for the actual celebration of the funeral banquet.

This says to me that these memorials were most likely placed in an area that may be viewed by family members, friends, and the general public. Not only as a symbol of remembrance but as an example to others as mentioned in the above quote. Also, based on the text, specifically the epitaph of A Midwife and Physician, it could be concluded that these memorials were all placed in a single area similar to a modern-day

Eileen’s room was a museum itself, so intricate making everything a clue. On her bed, her body lay pale and weak. I placed the blanket over her head, said a prayer for her, and tried to gain a hold of my sanity. On the night stand was Eileen’s tea cup from last night. Peeking into the cup, I saw just drops of tea remaining, and brought it wih with me to my room for observation. Just as I was about to leave, the cup in hand, I felt a clang. Turning around, I saw something fall to the ground. I identified it as some sort of stone, with a simple Celtic cross etched into the back, clearly done diligently by hand.

The English born (7th June 1965) Damien Steven Hirst is one of the most famous conceptual artists working today. He became a member of the young British artists group in the 1990s; he was their most prominent member. The most obvious theme with Damien Hirst’s work is death. Some of his most famous pieces often involve dead, dissected animals in big containers. As a student, he worked in a mortuary for some time. This experience seemed to have highly influenced the young student, and Hirst would later use that experience to showcase his curious ‘love of death’. One of his art works ’For the love of god’ (see figure 1) is a life sized, diamond covered, platinum skull that was moulded from an 18th century skull bought by Hirst in London. The skull is set with real teeth, 8,601 high quality diamonds,