How common was postmortem photography in the Old West?
Ted Mulligen
Massapequa, New York
We’re all familiar with those famous photos of dead outlaws Jesse James, the Dalton Gang and the gunfighters killed at the O.K. Corral fight.
Although postmortem photography may seem macabre today, “mourning portraits” were common in the 19th century. They offered family members an inexpensive way to memorialize deceased loved ones—especially children. Given the rarity of photographs at the

January 2014
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- Hard Living: Elmore Leonard’s West
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- I have seen several photos on the Internet claiming to be of Doc Holliday, however, many of the facial features don’t match up. What gives?
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