Are you interested in the world of postmortem photography? The Portrait Artist, by Katriona E MacMillan, is a grim introduction into the Victorian fascination with death.
The Victorians were macabre. Arguably sparked by Queen Victoria’s lengthy 40-year mourning period, the colour black was the main feature of the period. Between 1837 and 1901, the people of Britain observed this period of bleak mourning by concocting a number of different funereal rituals. The short story The Portrait Artist was designed to explore these rites and shed some light on the grim world of postmortem photography – one of the most disturbing rituals of all.
Queen Victoria’s Reign was Stained by Sadness
After the Queen’s husband Prince Albert passed away the queen went into mourning. This is a tradition we don’t really observe any longer in the UK…Possibly because Victoria’s reign saw enough mourning for everyone.
During periods of mourning, the spouse or loved ones affected would wear black for a period of time which society would deem ‘acceptable’. Although this ritual is not typically what we observe in the UK nowadays, we did have a 10-day mourning period back in 2022 when Queen Elizabeth II died.
Other funeral rites from the Victorian era included covering the mirrors to make sure that the departed soul did not get trapped within them. The Victorian’s made funeral biscuits, wrapped in detailed instructions of where and when the funeral would be held.
During the Victorian era a departed loved one would always leave the house feet first. Funerals were huge, with multiple guests and long sermons. Ornate horse-drawn carriages were the norm, as were luxury and opulence displayed from the graveside to the wake… the party afterwards in the ‘wake’ of their life.
Postmortem Photography: a Bleak Answer to a Difficult Situation
Of all of the Victorian funeral rites, postmortem photography gains the most attention. What modern day Brits might see as macabre and morbid was, in fact, a Victorian testament to the love they felt for a departed relative or friend.
Although it might seem creepy to the modern Brit, this type of photography has a logical explanation. These photos belong to a group of people who had only just discovered the ability to create photographs. The trend was just catching on and spreading when these pics became popular. It is likely that at least some postmortem photographs were taken as a result of families who had newly discovered photography who didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to capture the likeness of their departed loved one.
When you think about it in terms of the new inventions, industrial processes, and advancements in art and science which came with the Victorian era, postmortem photography seems much less weird than it initially sounds.
The Art Found in Death Pictures
One of the most interesting funeral rituals of all is the art of postmortem photography. This form of commemorating your loved one focused on painting the faces of the recently deceased so that the body looked as if it was still alive. The corpse would be put on display, often with the help of a stand or rod, and would appear in photographs with the living family members beside them.
Preparing for the photograph is horrific in itself, so naturally I thought it would make a fascinating short horror story, although perhaps it is less horror than thriller.
The Portrait Artist, by Katriona E MacMillan
I wrote this story a few years ago now. It might even have been one o the 2020 stories. Everything was grim and macabre back then.
I’d had an idea for a short story about a doll maker from the Victorian era for a long time when I began writing this short story. In my head, the doll maker was somehow capturing the souls of small children and trapping their features in exquisite porcelain. This master craftsman would then become famous for his exceptional skill, only to eventually have his dark secret revealed (probably by a group of pesky kids and their dog in an homage to Scooby-Doo).
So I started to research the basis for this type of story, only to read that Victorians would have mourning dolls made of the deceased. These little dolls would be crafted to be an exact likeness of the deceased party, and would incorporate a lock of their hair, toenail clippings, or even blood.
Victorian Mourning Dolls
While postmortem photography gets all the attention from horror fans, Victorian mourning dolls have remained largely overlooked by Hollywood script writers. These dolls were usually made out of wax and were carved meticulously by artists who specialized in sculpture.
Victorian mourning dolls, sometimes known as Victorian Grave Dolls, were usually life sized effigies of children who had passed. Typically commissioned by the wealthy, these dolls would be displayed above the child’s grave. These dolls would be dressed in the child’s clothing, would wear a wig of the child’s hair, and would have represented the deceased child at the wake.
So if you thought Victorian death photography was out there, what must you think of Victorian corpse dolls?
As you can imagine, as soon as I learned of these little dolls and how I could tie both my interested in death photography and the Victorian doll maker story which I had in mind together I had to do it.
The Existence of Albert Werner
The Portrait Artist was originally entitled “The Existence of Albert Werner”. In original drafts it seemed that his existence (AKA the existence of the corpse doll creator) was enough of a story to warrant such a title. However, I had bad feedback on the title when I submitted it to an anthology. Said anthology editor told me they requested ‘gothic’ in nature, not literally gothic stories. It is one I have never forgotten.
Anyway. As horror invested as I am, the story sort of came together born out of my interest in both facets of Victorian death rituals. When I added in the other little rites here and there, the story came together and told itself.
As for the ending? I concentrated on the beginning and the middle for once and the ending was easy. I will have to remember that trick in future.
Pick up your copy of The Portrait Artist, by Katriona E MacMillan, Here!
Other Short Stories By Katriona E MacMillan
If you are interested in both short stories and horror writing then you can find more short stories by Katriona E MacMillan on Amazon. Check out the following:
- Bananas – the tale of a botanist left alone in space for too long.
- A Taxi Home and the scripted version, When the Meter’s Not Running.
- Courtesy Flush – because imagine that you ran out of toilet paper in deep space…
Katriona MacMillan 