Photographs of loved ones taken after they died may seem morbid to modern sensibilities. But in Victorian England, they became a way of commemorating the dead and blunting the sharpness of grief.

或许在现代人眼中，为离世的挚爱拍照实属诡异。不过在维多利亚时代的英国，这却是一种缅怀故人，缓解悲伤的方式。

In images that are both unsettling and strangely poignant, families pose with the dead, infants appear asleep, and consumptive young ladies elegantly recline, the disease not only taking their life but increasing their beauty.

这些照片充满了不安，画面异常感伤。家人与逝者一同拍照，婴儿看上去就像进入了梦乡，患病的年轻女士优雅地斜躺着，疾病虽然夺走了逝者的生命，却增添了别样的美。

Victorian life was suffused with death. Epidemics such as diphtheria, typhus and cholera scarred the country, and from 1861 the bereaved Queen made mourning fashionable.

维多利亚时代的人民饱受死神的折磨。流行病（白喉、伤寒、疟疾）肆虐全国。从1861年开始，守寡的年轻女王就掀起了一场悼念风尚。

Trinkets of memento mori - literally meaning "remember you must die" - took several forms, and existed long before Victorian times. Locks of hair cut from the dead were arranged and worn in lockets and rings, death masks were created in wax, and the images and symbols of death appeared in paintings and sculptures.

象征着“记住人必有一死”的纪念品早在维多利亚时代之前就流传已久了。剪下逝者的头发，珍藏在吊坠里或镶嵌在戒指中，或用蜡为逝者铸造面具，抑或在绘画与雕塑中采用死亡的意象。

But in the mid-1800s photography was becoming increasingly popular and affordable - leading to memento mori photographic portraiture.

不过，随着19世纪中期摄影技术的流行，摄影成本的降低，为逝者拍摄肖像留作纪念的做法也逐渐流行起来。

The first successful form of photography, the daguerreotype - a small, highly detailed picture on polished silver - was an expensive luxury, but not nearly as costly as having a portrait painted, which previously had been the only way of permanently preserving someone's image.

首个成功的照相方式是银版照相法（在抛光的银板上拍摄出影像细腻的照片），银版照相尽管被看成是一种奢侈品，但它远不及画一幅肖像画那般昂贵，而肖像画曾是永久保存某人形象的唯一途径。

As the number of photographers increased, the cost of daguerreotypes fell. Less costly procedures were introduced in the 1850s, such as using thin metal, glass or paper rather than silver.

随着摄影师越来越多，银版照相的费用也相应降低。19世纪50年代，银版照相采用了成本更低的拍摄用具，如使用薄金属、玻璃或纸来代替银板。

Death portraiture became increasingly popular. Victorian nurseries were plagued by measles, diphtheria, scarlet fever, rubella - all of which could be fatal.

后来，给死人照相日渐普遍。在维多利亚女王时代，多家幼儿园的小孩儿染上了麻疹、白喉、猩红热、风疹等致命疾病。

It was often the first time families thought of having a photograph taken - it was the last chance to have a permanent likeness of a beloved child.

那时，这往往是家人第一次想要给孩子照相，也是他们最后一次给心爱的孩子拍摄一张永久的照片。

But as healthcare improved the life expectancy of children, the demand for death photography diminished.

不过，后来，良好的医疗条件延长了孩子们的平均寿命，因此，给死人照相的需求有所减少。

The advent of snapshots sounded the death knell for the art - as most families would have photographs taken in life.

快照的面世等于给死亡摄影艺术敲响了丧钟，因为大多数家庭都可以在生活中拍摄很多照片。

Now, these images of men, women and children stoically containing their grief in order to preserve the likeness of a taken-too-soon loved one, continue to live up to their name.

照片中的男人女人和孩子坚忍地克制着哀伤，没有表露出悲恸的情绪，因为家人们想要好好地拍一张照片，永远保留早逝的死者的音容相貌。如今这些照片依然践行着它们的使命。

Memento mori: remember, you must die.

死亡警告：谨记，人必有一死。