Burns, Stanley B.

Sleeping Beauty: Memorial Photography in America.

      Twelvetrees Press, Altadena, California 1990 - 1/3000. Lg. 4to. Unpaginated. Dark blue cloth with silver lettering to cover and spine in original dj. Minor creasing, scuffing and discoloration to dj. "This volume presents a chronological arrangement of postmortem photography 1840-1930; no other collection of this material has been made available despite recent interest in the American way of death. What emerges is a vivid visual history of the changes in American customs. We can see the change in death concepts and funerary practices, from the image of death as a stark Puritan journey for a sinner to the late Victorian beautification of death and its interpretation as a restful sleep for a redeemed soul". Illustrated with sepia-toned and b/w photographs. Dj in very good, book in near fine condition. [Attributes: First Edition; Hard Cover]