The Art of Death in 19th Century America ― Mortality in Visual Arts, Fashion and Performance

[This book is a must for anyone interested in 19th century America, Britain and France or the Goth sub-culture. It is a broad look at the effects death had on these societies and the many creative ways people responded to it. This book is also a must for anyone interested in or perplexed by modern and abstract art, drawing clear lines from nineteenth century religions or philosophies such as Spiritualism and Theosophy to art and artists of the twentieth century. The book takes a comprehensive approach to art. Instead of buying texts on each subject, this work discusses various topics from cemetery design, to painting, to photography, to mourning clothing and jewelry design and etc. It explains important things missing from art history texts when It discusses mediums as performance artists, post mortem painters and post mortem photographers. It explains the connection between death and the emergence of 3-dimensional media. The book also examines why 19th century people acted as they did, which, from our perspective, seems odd or even bizarre. It answers questions such as: why did people from this era believe that mediums could communicate with the dead?; why did they believe that photographers could photograph ghosts?; and why did they believe the dead could paint? Most importantly, the book explains how these beliefs influence us today.]

D. Tulla Lightfoot is faculty emeritus of the University North Carolina Pembroke and lives in Aventura, Florida. She is the author of many academic articles on art and art education, has edited academic journals and has made several presentations in her field.