What are Memorial Pictures?
Memorial pictures are as varied as just about every other product now offered by the memorial industry. Here’s a guide that may help clear up confusions.
The most important thing to consider about memorial pictures is the definition. “Memorial pictures” can me any number of things and that can lead to miscommunication in some cases. Our guide is a summary of the various things that memorial pictures can mean.
Memorial pictures can be un-posed photos taken of a person or event and then displayed later – often online – so that the person or event will never be forgotten. A great example of this type of memorial picture is the hundreds of websites devoted to the memory of the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. Pictures on these websites evoke strong emotions from viewer’s years after the attacks and will, no doubt, continue to do so for decades at least. This is true as well for memorial pictures devoted to other battles and wars though out history.
Memorial pictures can be posed photos taken with the subject’s approval and discretion and, again, displayed later so that the person will not be forgotten. Photos of a lost loved one offer a way to recount precious memories shared with them, and share those memories with future family members.
The term memorial pictures is sometimes used to refer to photographs or images baked or etched into ceramic. These pictures are typically installed onto headstones and, like all other memorial pictures, are intended to assure that the subject is remembered forever.
Memorial pictures are also commonly found molded into bronze plates featured on wall plaques or mounted onto grave markers or statues. These memorial pictures tend to be simple head photos with little or no background because anything more complicated is very difficult to re-produce in bronze. And, as with all the other types of memorial pictures, these will keep the subject’s memory alive forever. (And, in fact, since bronze is the most durable of all substances in which memorial photos are produced, this is the type of memorial picture that will have the greatest chance of surviving the ages.)
Memorial pictures are commonly found in necklaces and other pieces of jewelry. These types of memorial pictures are an offshoot of the memorial pictures taken with the subject’s approval. But, of course, they are smaller. These types of memorial pictures can often be found included in cremation jewelry that stores a tiny amount of a loved-one’s ashes.
Related to this type memorial picture are the type that are displayed directly on cremation urns themselves. Many urns today are available with picture frames that allow for the display of a meaningful picture. And still other urns can feature laser-etched photos directly onto the urn’s surface. And, finally, perhaps the newest addition to the memorial picture family is a new idea in memorialization called “Art in Ashes.” With this type of memorial picture, a tiny portion of a loved one’s cremation remains are painted directly into an oil painting. The painting is often an abstract piece of art that captures a person’s overall essence as opposed to his or her exact look.
Whatever the type of memorial picture is being discussed, one factor ties them all together: the goal of a memorial picture is – always – to remember a loved one forever.