More Misidentified Images | post-mortem-photos

More Misidentified Images -

Although they've been identified as dead on many websites, no one here is deceased.

If anyone has any researched info to add about these photos, or any other misidentified photos you'd like to send us, please use the "Contact Us" tab to tell us about it. Thank you.

If you are a Pinterest member you can see more Misidentified Images on our Pinterest Board located here: Misidentified Images

Dead Girl With Dog? Meet Helen Martha Marye Thomas, she lived from 1906 to1970, so she most certainly was alive when this photo was taken. This is about 1915, a bit post Victorian. This was taken in Washington D.C. Her father was the Russian ambassador. Click photo for link.	Girl Holding Money This little girl look anxious about having her photo taken but she is not deceased. She is even holding some money in her left hand. It was probably given to her to calm and distract her during the photo session. You can also see a large motion blur on her left foot. She was definitely alive.	Mysterious Woman Some say this is the corpse of a famous clairvoyant. However, it is a sculpture by Christine Elfman made of plaster and paper mâché. The dress is made of torn pieces of paper with the story of her family. Zoom and you can see the words. Not a postmortem.
Dead For 9 Days? Some claim this is a photo of a woman who has been dead nine days. There's something not right about this. The woman could not have been dead 9 days and look like this. In the bottom line you can see "9 days after" has been altered. We believe it once said "9 days before" her death. We think the note at the top is in a different hand and is redundant. We believe she was alive in this photo and someone is trying to make us believe otherwise.	Well Dressed Boy This is another one that mystifies us. We see nothing that suggests this boy was dead. He's alert, holding his head up, and looking at the camera.	Not Victorian, But Quite A Story This couple was not Victorian, and they were not dead. Someone made up a big story about the woman being dead two days, and the man , being in denial, and having a photo made. It is actually a photo booth photo that has been tinted.
The Bride This bride is stiffly posed but she was alive, with her groom standing next to her. Her dried flowers do not mean death. They were an accepted embellishment, especially in the hot summer months when it was hard to keep flowers fresh.	Artistic Photo This photo of two women is an artistic portrait. It is called, " The Kiss of Peace" - 1869, by Julia Margaret Cameron, talented early woman photographer. They were both alive.	Very Strange Photo Yes, this one is strange, but no one is dead. The seated child moved around a lot during the long shutter exposure, making him look monstrous. Some think he may have a medical problem, but that is not confirmed.
Baby With Mother The baby is sleeping. The writing on the back of the photo says, "Taken September 12th, 1854. The child was 28 days old."	Strange Couple Whenever some people are puzzled by a photo they say the subjects are dead. These two live performers were singing in a stage production. Some think they are wearing masks.	Twins With Baby in Cart We really don't see how anyone in this photo could be dead, but this photo appears on some postmortem photo sites. They are all alert and looking very much alive.
Squirming Children No one in this photo is dead, but it does illustrate why it is important to keep children still for long shutter exposures. There were only two children in this photo.	Slave Children These children were all alive and look healthy. Not every photo from the Thanatos collection is of deceased people.	Seated Girl With Doll I have no idea why this one is being mislabeled "deceased". It makes no sense at all.
Flash Misfire People say the dark color of the girl's arms and the dark circles under her eyes are the evidence that this is a postmortem photo when actually the darkness is from a misfire of the flash.	Innsmouth Woman This is not a dead person, and it is not a person at all. It is a fictional depiction of a character from The Shadow over Innsmouth, a horror novella by H. P. Lovecraft, written in November–December 1931.	Day Dreaming This is a romanticized photo of a day dreaming young woman. She was very much alive. Flowers do not mean death.
War Pageant Photo This photo was staged to show the tragedy of war. No one in it was dead. This was a bit too elaborate to be a real postmortem photo.	Framed Twins The stands behind these two assure us that they were alive. They do look a bit startled, probably from the flash.	Girl With Look Alike Doll Standing,with her hands folded, this little girl was alive, and showing off her look alike doll. Folded hands do not always mean death in photos.
A Christmas Dream This is not a death photo, it is a pageant photo called, "A Christmas Dream". The children are pretending to sleep and dream, the boy is even smiling. Note the Christmas tree in the upper right portion of the photo.	A Portrait of a Young Woman So many people pin this with a long caption saying this was a postmortem taken right after death. It is no such thing. Its title is "A portrait of a young woman" by Fritz W. Guerin, c. 1902	Young Man Gripping Table Standing tall, with his right hand gripping a table and his left elbow leaning on a chair, we know he must be alive.
Sleeping Baby The info with the original photo says: "Here we present an historic image of Adams family portrait, with man, woman, and baby girl. It was taken in 1846. The image shows Adams, Henry Joseph. Adams, Abigail Ridley Gibson. Kingsbury, Anna Gibson Adams, 1845-1884." Nothing was mentioned about death, nobody looks like they are in mourning and the child looks healthy. Everyone with closed eyes is not dead!	Seated Woman With Umbrella Just because her image has been embellished, it does not mean she was dead. She is sitting tall and hanging on to an umbrella.	Man With A Baton This fellow has a motion blur on the hand holding the baton. He also has a stand to help hold him still for the long shutter exposure.
Modern Recreation This is not a Victorian and this girl was not dead. She's a modern girl recreating a postmortem photo. Note the over done aging of the photo and the modern make-up.	Mother and Child Some say the child is hugging her deceased mother, but you can see her mother's hand is blurred on her back from motion. The woman is also holding herself upright. She was alive.	Beautiful Eyes Some say that this baby is deceased and has painted eyes. We think that not even Michaelangelo could paint such realistic eyes. The child has a hidden mom helping to hold his/her head still.
Boy With Flowers It looks like someone is behind the curtain holding his head, but he standing alone and is alive.	Two Girls in Polka Dot Dresses These pretty young ladies are standing, healthy and alive.	Handicapped Girl This young woman was alive. She has two attendants, one is cloaked because she does not want to be in the photo. Here is another photo of her in a wheelchair: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/389209592771351158/
Young Couple Not only were these two alive, but many people believe the woman may have been pregnant because of the clothes she is wearing.	Damaged Photo of Baby This photo is damaged and has some foxing but the baby is sitting up and holding up its own head. We see no reason to think this baby is deceased.	Eerie Eyes Yes, their eyes do look weird but they were alive. They are very blond with light blue eyes that do not register well with the old camera and flash used for this picture.
Boy With Cane He's standing alone and sitting astride a cane like a hobby horse. This pose helped the lively little boy hold still He was not deceased.	Prince Albert Victor of Wales This child has been identified as Prince Albert Victor of Wales, Duke of Clarence and Avondale. He died at age 28 in 1892.	Four Sisters Some think the girl on the left is deceased. For some reason when children are lined up like this people always seem to think that the little one is dead! However, she is standing so we know she is alive.
Modern Actress This is not a Victorian photo, note her fingernails and make up. This is a modern art photo by Lizzie St. Septembre. The subject was alive.	Spirit Photo Do you see the spirit image in the upper right hand corner of this photo? This is a staged photo of a live man who is supposedly in a trance to bring the spirit to him. Spirit photos were popularized as soon as photographers were able to fake them by printing double negatives. Here is a link to an excellent article on Spirit Photography: http://www.prairieghosts.com/ph_history.html	Girl on Chair This little girl was alive. Her face was a little washed out due to uneven flash coverage but you can clearly see her hanging on to the chair with her left hand.
Chubby Little Cherub Because she had a flower in her hand, some people think she was dead, she was not. She seems to be the picture of health.	Girl With Purse The posing stand behind her means she was alive and trying to hold still for the camera.	Baby in Mourning Because this baby has a dark ribbon affixed to its back, many people are saying he/she was dead. In fact, dark ribbons were often pinned to babies and small children if a relative of theirs died. In this photo it looks as if the mother was also in mourning.
Side Image of Girl Holding Doll She is sitting up straight on her own, holding her head up and holding a doll by herself. She's alive but has just closed her eyes. Who has never done that when your photo was taken by a bright flash?	Unhappy Girl With Doll This girl looks pretty unhappy about her photo but she was not deceased. Photographers would often pose their subjects with stiff hand poses, because the stiff pose was easier to hold.	Two Girls and A Swing Both of these little ladies were alive and well. Victorians seldom smiled in photos, they thought it was undignified.
Three Young Men How could these young men look any more alive? It's hard to believe that the middle one is labeled as deceased on some Pinterest boards.	Girls With Their Toys This photo of two girls and their toys features two live girls and their precious toys. Nothing here suggests either one is deceased.	Seductive Pose Some people are posting this photo as a postmortem It is not. This would have been a seductive pose and the fact that she is standing proves she is alive. Victorians wouldn't have wanted a memento mori of their loved one in this pose either. It was too risque.
Live Man With Posing Stand Often incorrectly identified as a deceased man being held up by a posing stand, this is actually a photo of a live man demonstrating the use of a posing stand. He looks quite alert.	Sleeping Baby With Maid This is not a memento mori photograph. It is a very famous posed photograph by Julia Margaret Cameron. The woman is her maid and favorite model and the child is her grandson. He is very much alive and pretending to sleep.	Identical Twins These beautiful twins were alive, holding up their heads and looking straight at the camera.
Girl on Chair This little girl is supposed to be dead, yet she is standing, holding her head up and even bracing herself with her right arm. The gentlemen she is with doesn't seem to be in mourning, with his polka dot shirt. And look at the pride in his eyes, it certainly isn't grief. And here is another photo of the same live girl: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/389209592775387620/	Standing Toddler Not sure why anyone would think this adorable toddler, who is standing on her own, could be dead. She's also got her eyes focused on the camera.	Girl Gripping Chair Sitting up straight, with no support, and her hands gripping the arms of the chair show us that she was alive.
Courting Couple Many people have identified this lady as being dead simply because she has closed eyes. The facts that she is holding up her own head and sitting upright demonstrate that those people are wrong.	Boy With Closed Eyes This is probably another case of being stunned by the flash. Both children look unnerved. They are both standing so we know they are alive. The boy most likely closed his eyes against the flash.	Breast Feeding Mother Some think this is a mother holding a deceased infant, but if you look closely you can see that the mother is breastfeeding. The older child probably just wants her mother's attention.
Artistic Baby Photo This artistic photo may not be Victorian and we are quite sure that the baby wasn't dead. Victorians would not think this was dignified for a Memento Mori photo. They would have wanted the child to be clothed. It is a studio photo and the water is actually a mirror.	All In The Family Because her eyes are closed, the child on the left has been identified as dead. (Click photo for larger image) She was not. She probably closed them because of the bright flash. And, we know that standing postmortem photos do not exist.	Girls With Dolls The internet rumor mill says the child on the right is dead. She is sitting up straight, on her own, and her eyes are focused on the camera. There is no evidence that she is deceased.
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson Although this photo is often labeled as a photo of a dead man, it is not. It is a photo of the famous author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (aka Lewis Caroll) who wrote "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" And, he was alive when it was taken.	Family This one is not Victorian but it is often mislabeled. It is a photo of actors from the movie, "The Haunting of Connecticut".	Literacy Poster This is a post Civil War poster promoting reading for everyone. No one here is deceased.
Native Americans People have misidentified this photo as one with a deceased baby because of the cradle board the child is on. It was a common thing for babies to be carried on cradle boards. The child was alive.	Just Look At Those Faces! Some people identify the baby as being dead! They say that its chubby arm wrinkles are wires and that its eyes look weird. The eyes are probably blue and did not read well. I don't think I've ever seen a healthier looking child.	Lively Tot This baby has so much life that his right hand shows a motion blur.
Two Women Under A Tree This is a rather famous photo by Alice M. Boughton called "Two Women under a Tree", ca. 1910. We know that neither of them were dead when this photo was taken.	Albino Twins These two were a well known set of albino twins. They were not dead but their pink eyes did not read very well on the camera. Their names were Charley and Dannie. Here is a better photo of them: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/389209592773367291/	Father and Son Some think this boy may be dead but he is sitting up straight and looking at the camera. His light blue eyes do not read well in this photo.
Stiffly Posed Girl This young girl is not dead. She is sitting up straight on the side of the chair and holding up her head. The photographer probably posed her arms and said, "Hold that pose".	Tad Lincoln This is Tad Lincoln, but he is not dead yet. He lived to be 18 years of age. Besides, we know that standing postmortem photos did not exist, right?	Beautiful Sisters Some people think that the girl that is seated second from the left is dead, but she is not. All of these girls are alive. All of them are holding their heads up and looking at the camera, and they are all embracing each other, probably to help them hold still.
Deer In the Headlights Stare Just because that child has his eyes open wide does not mean he is dead. He probably looks like that because the chemical flash scared him. He is also sitting unsupported on the horse.	Child Sleeping on Dog Yes, they both have their eyes closed but they are not dead. This is a sweet napping photo. If a Victorian was going to do a Memento Mori of their child, it would not be so undignified as to be lying on the floor with her head on the dog. There's a good chance the child is pretending to sleep for the camera.	Uniformed Man With Family Some say this is a dead Civil War soldier. That is wrong on many counts. He is wearing the uniform of a train conductor or telegraph operator and a dead C.W. soldier would never look this good. He is also standing, which we know means he was alive.
Draped Mom Photo Most draped moms are holding live children. They are there to keep them from wiggling. This girl is so alive that her right hand has a motion blur.

More Misidentified Images -

Although they've been identified as dead on many websites, no one here is deceased.

If anyone has any researched info to add about these photos, or any other misidentified photos you'd like to send us, please use the "Contact Us" tab to tell us about it. Thank you.

If you are a Pinterest member you can see more Misidentified Images on our Pinterest Board located here: Misidentified Images

Dead Girl With Dog?

Meet Helen Martha Marye Thomas, she lived from 1906 to1970, so she most certainly was alive when this photo was taken. This is about 1915, a bit post Victorian. This was taken in Washington D.C. Her father was the Russian ambassador. Click photo for link.

Girl Holding Money

This little girl look anxious about having her photo taken but she is not deceased. She is even holding some money in her left hand. It was probably given to her to calm and distract her during the photo session. You can also see a large motion blur on her left foot. She was definitely alive.

Mysterious Woman

Some say this is the corpse of a famous clairvoyant. However, it is a sculpture by Christine Elfman made of plaster and paper mâché. The dress is made of torn pieces of paper with the story of her family. Zoom and you can see the words. Not a postmortem.

Dead For 9 Days?

Well Dressed Boy

This is another one that mystifies us. We see nothing that suggests this boy was dead. He's alert, holding his head up, and looking at the camera.

Not Victorian, But Quite A Story

This couple was not Victorian, and they were not dead. Someone made up a big story about the woman being dead two days, and the man , being in denial, and having a photo made. It is actually a photo booth photo that has been tinted.

The Bride

This bride is stiffly posed but she was alive, with her groom standing next to her. Her dried flowers do not mean death. They were an accepted embellishment, especially in the hot summer months when it was hard to keep flowers fresh.

Artistic Photo

This photo of two women is an artistic portrait. It is called, " The Kiss of Peace" - 1869, by Julia Margaret Cameron, talented early woman photographer. They were both alive.

Very Strange Photo

Yes, this one is strange, but no one is dead. The seated child moved around a lot during the long shutter exposure, making him look monstrous. Some think he may have a medical problem, but that is not confirmed.

Baby With Mother

The baby is sleeping. The writing on the back of the photo says, "Taken September 12th, 1854. The child was 28 days old."

Strange Couple

Whenever some people are puzzled by a photo they say the subjects are dead. These two live performers were singing in a stage production. Some think they are wearing masks.

Twins With Baby in Cart

We really don't see how anyone in this photo could be dead, but this photo appears on some postmortem photo sites. They are all alert and looking very much alive.

Squirming Children

No one in this photo is dead, but it does illustrate why it is important to keep children still for long shutter exposures. There were only two children in this photo.

Slave Children

These children were all alive and look healthy. Not every photo from the Thanatos collection is of deceased people.

Seated Girl With Doll

I have no idea why this one is being mislabeled "deceased". It makes no sense at all.

Flash Misfire

People say the dark color of the girl's arms and the dark circles under her eyes are the evidence that this is a postmortem photo when actually the darkness is from a misfire of the flash.

Innsmouth Woman

This is not a dead person, and it is not a person at all. It is a fictional depiction of a character from The Shadow over Innsmouth, a horror novella by H. P. Lovecraft, written in November–December 1931.

Day Dreaming

This is a romanticized photo of a day dreaming young woman. She was very much alive. Flowers do not mean death.

War Pageant Photo

This photo was staged to show the tragedy of war. No one in it was dead. This was a bit too elaborate to be a real postmortem photo.

Framed Twins

The stands behind these two assure us that they were alive. They do look a bit startled, probably from the flash.

Girl With Look Alike Doll

Standing,with her hands folded, this little girl was alive, and showing off her look alike doll. Folded hands do not always mean death in photos.

A Christmas Dream

This is not a death photo, it is a pageant photo called, "A Christmas Dream". The children are pretending to sleep and dream, the boy is even smiling. Note the Christmas tree in the upper right portion of the photo.

A Portrait of a Young Woman

So many people pin this with a long caption saying this was a postmortem taken right after death. It is no such thing. Its title is "A portrait of a young woman" by Fritz W. Guerin, c. 1902

Young Man Gripping Table

Standing tall, with his right hand gripping a table and his left elbow leaning on a chair, we know he must be alive.

Sleeping Baby

Seated Woman With Umbrella

Just because her image has been embellished, it does not mean she was dead. She is sitting tall and hanging on to an umbrella.

Man With A Baton

This fellow has a motion blur on the hand holding the baton. He also has a stand to help hold him still for the long shutter exposure.

Modern Recreation

This is not a Victorian and this girl was not dead. She's a modern girl recreating a postmortem photo. Note the over done aging of the photo and the modern make-up.

Mother and Child

Some say the child is hugging her deceased mother, but you can see her mother's hand is blurred on her back from motion. The woman is also holding herself upright. She was alive.

Beautiful Eyes

Some say that this baby is deceased and has painted eyes. We think that not even Michaelangelo could paint such realistic eyes. The child has a hidden mom helping to hold his/her head still.

Boy With Flowers

It looks like someone is behind the curtain holding his head, but he standing alone and is alive.

Two Girls in Polka Dot Dresses

These pretty young ladies are standing, healthy and alive.

Handicapped Girl

This young woman was alive. She has two attendants, one is cloaked because she does not want to be in the photo. Here is another photo of her in a wheelchair: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/389209592771351158/

Young Couple

Not only were these two alive, but many people believe the woman may have been pregnant because of the clothes she is wearing.

Damaged Photo of Baby

This photo is damaged and has some foxing but the baby is sitting up and holding up its own head. We see no reason to think this baby is deceased.

Eerie Eyes

Yes, their eyes do look weird but they were alive. They are very blond with light blue eyes that do not register well with the old camera and flash used for this picture.

Boy With Cane

He's standing alone and sitting astride a cane like a hobby horse. This pose helped the lively little boy hold still He was not deceased.

Prince Albert Victor of Wales

This child has been identified as Prince Albert Victor of Wales, Duke of Clarence and Avondale. He died at age 28 in 1892.

Four Sisters

Some think the girl on the left is deceased. For some reason when children are lined up like this people always seem to think that the little one is dead! However, she is standing so we know she is alive.