A controversial but funny trend of the Victorian era (11 photos)

In terms of entertainment, citizens living during the Victorian era were not particularly lucky. It was necessary to observe strict moral principles and preserve conservative values. Therefore, in order to somehow diversify the monotonous everyday life, people came up with entertainment for themselves. One of which was an unexpected trend in art called headless portraiture.





But how can such a noir title be funny? After all, there is nothing even close to fun in the popular post mortem. And the headless man in the photo is even more terrible. Moreover, this very head hangs in the hand on its own hair, is clutched under the arm, lies on a platter or sticks out on a pole.

The birth of a fashionable and expensive trend



"Head of John the Baptist on a Platter", Oskar Rejlander, circa 1858

Once, photographer Oscar Reilander saw a textured man in the crowd. And I decided to create a portrait of him in the image of John the Baptist. Moreover, the head had to lie on a platter separately from the body. The implementation of the plan to create a provocative work of art lasted for several years. At first, the photographer was afraid to come up and voice the idea, and then the model had to be persuaded for several years, because the man who fit the ideal type considered such a “work” to be sacrilege and blasphemy.



Now, creating such a portrait in the simplest program is a matter of a couple of seconds. But a century and a half ago it was long and painstaking work. After all, the master needed to accurately combine two photographs in order to get one that would look realistic and believable.



Reilander's work, which, by the way, was purchased by Queen Victoria herself, inspired other artists. Who sat for hours in laboratories, combining negatives. But the game was worth the candle. Although the resulting original photos were very expensive, they sold like hotcakes.

Barkley Family History



Murder of a Mother in the Midwest, Eddie Allen, 2006

The second most famous photograph in the style of a headless portrait is a photograph of the Barkley family. It depicts blank-faced children and their mother. The girl has an ax in her hands, the boy holds his mother's head by the hair. It is believed that the Barkley offspring prepared for Halloween in 1890 in this wild way. The young criminals, who went on to make stuffed dolls representing their parents instead of their usual entertainment, were filmed by a neighbor who dropped by for a visit.

But in reality, this headless portrait turned out to be a modern fake. It was made by Eddie Allen using an old photograph, changing the original. However, there is still an eerie legend associated with this family. And she, apparently, inspired the author. According to it, the owner of the house was actually found dead, and her children disappeared and were never found. Due to the dark history, the photo was initially considered real.



Times have changed, and with them new trends have come. But the unusual predecessor of Photoshop remained in history as a reminder of people’s desire to make life, filled with strict rules, a little more fun.