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Funeral History All things related to funeral history as shared through the eyes of Martha Thayer.

The former Moore-Howard Mortuary in Denver (Berkeley Park Chapel). A beautiful building that I was lucky enough to work ...
10/07/2026

The former Moore-Howard Mortuary in Denver (Berkeley Park Chapel). A beautiful building that I was lucky enough to work in during high school.

So many cool details in this painting, almost none of which are true. This is a classic example of the Victorian romanti...
09/20/2026

So many cool details in this painting, almost none of which are true. This is a classic example of the Victorian romanticization of death. Sometimes seeing something as we wish it had been, rather than as it was, helps us process our grief. Shelley was cremated on a beach on a hot and sunny August day. Lord Byron and Mary Shelly weren’t in attendance but are included in the painting. So much of this is factually off, but I still love it. The Funeral of Shelley, by Louis Édouard Fournier, 1889.

09/10/2026

Today is World Su***de Prevention Day. 💜💜💜 What gives you hope?
***depreventionmonth ***de

I’m always moved by this 1891 painting by Russian artist Nikolay Kasatkin, titled “Orphaned,” when it shows up in my fee...
08/30/2026

I’m always moved by this 1891 painting by Russian artist Nikolay Kasatkin, titled “Orphaned,” when it shows up in my feed. It’s always said that it’s their mother, but how do we know that? I did some research. The museum description says the brothers have lost the person closest to them. I could not find any record of Kasatkin identifying the deceased, either. Regardless, their grief is palpable. I also learned that the wooden crosses in this painting are called golubtsy. The small pitched roofs protected the crosses from the weather and symbolized a home for the deceased. 🖤🪦🥀

I stayed on the “haunted” 8th floor of the historic Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky this month. I didn’t see any ...
08/28/2026

I stayed on the “haunted” 8th floor of the historic Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky this month. I didn’t see any 👻, but I did enjoy my stay.

This beautiful postcard found me today. 💜 It’s from T.P. & Co.’s Mourning Series 551. Dating to the Edwardian period, li...
08/23/2026

This beautiful postcard found me today. 💜 It’s from T.P. & Co.’s Mourning Series 551. Dating to the Edwardian period, likely around 1908–1910, from what I could find online. I’m obsessed with the purple. And it’s embossed!

This painting reminds me of a woman whose funeral I directed on the very day she was supposed to be married. I have neve...
08/19/2026

This painting reminds me of a woman whose funeral I directed on the very day she was supposed to be married. I have never forgotten her story. Frederick William Elwell, The Wedding Dress, 1911. Oil on canvas.

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