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thegravemuse.bsky.social
The Grave Muse
@thegravemuse.bsky.social
140 followers 140 following 17 posts
Haunted by the beauty of decay. Taphophile, cemetery wanderer, and occasional grave robber of forgotten stories.

Blog: http://thegravemuse.wixsite.com/my-site
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Reposted by The Grave Muse
sarahcoomer.bsky.social
I went to see Nosferatu this week. It was alright. Ok okay I loved it. Apart from everything else in the entire film, I really liked the metal grave markers dotted all over the place so I drew this, based on the graveyard scene.
An illustration that looks like a very early photograph of a woman in mourning in a graveyard. In the foreground are two ornate metal cross shaped grave markers.
January 24, 2025 at 9:58 PM
thegravemuse.bsky.social
When a cat decided to take me to CS Lewis's final resting place
January 5, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Reposted by The Grave Muse
themidnightlibrary.bsky.social
It’s there in Phantom Forest
January 5, 2025 at 3:46 AM
thegravemuse.bsky.social
Hmmmmm...
January 5, 2025 at 8:51 AM
thegravemuse.bsky.social
Enjoying @lucyworsley.bsky.social discussing the rise of True Crime with the reporting of the Jack The Ripper crimes. Thankfully not another deep dive into who he really was
January 3, 2025 at 10:18 PM
thegravemuse.bsky.social
These images serve as memento moris, a reminder of the brevity of life and the importance of living a meaningful existence. It highlights the contrast between the ephemeral beauty of youth and the enduring reality of death. #mementomoriday
From the @wellcomecollection.bsky.social
The painting depicts a woman standing against a vibrant blue background. On her right side, she wears a colorful dress with a white shawl. Her left side reveals a skeletal form, complete with a skull and ribcage. The skeleton holds a large scythe in its right hand, pointing upwards towards the sky. At the base of the painting, a book and a small basket of flowers rest on the ground. Overall Impression: The painting is a striking visual representation of the concept of mortality. It juxtaposes the fragility of life with the inevitability of death, symbolized by the woman's vibrant appearance contrasted with her skeletal form. The scythe and flowers add further layers of symbolism, representing the Grim Reaper and the fleeting nature of life. * The painting style suggests it might be from the 17th or 18th century, possibly with influences from Baroque or Rococo art. * The use of strong color contrasts and dramatic lighting creates a sense of drama and intrigue. Title: Life and Death Contracted - or, An Essay on Woman Description: The etching by Valentine Green portrays a woman in a lavish 18th-century dress, her face adorned with makeup and a large powdered wig. However, her right side reveals a skeletal form, starkly contrasting the elegance of her appearance. The skeleton holds a quill and a scroll, symbolizing the passage of time and the inevitability of mortality. The image is rich in symbolism, with objects scattered around the woman hinting at the fleeting nature of life and the pursuit of vanity. Playing cards, a fan, and a comb lie discarded, while the skeleton rests its hand on a skull. The text surrounding the image reinforces the themes of mortality and the vanity of earthly pursuits.
January 3, 2025 at 6:42 PM
thegravemuse.bsky.social
#mementomoriday
… in doubtful cases of death.

My latest blog post about the fear of Premature Burial and the invention of ‘The Life Saving Coffin’

thegravemuse.wixsite.com/my-site/post...
January 3, 2025 at 4:26 PM
thegravemuse.bsky.social
I’m too sick to go out at the moment and take some photos so I’m going through my archives. Here are some from West Norwood Cemetery- one of London’s Magnificent Seven.
January 3, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Reposted by The Grave Muse
chriswoodyard.bsky.social
#TheVictorianBookoftheDead 1872
A Boston undertaker boasts that he has the best hearse in New England, and “defies anybody that ever rode in it to say to the contrary.”

1870 S.D. Kimbark Hearse, Library of Congress
elaborate hearse with oval glass window and urn and scrollwork on the top. 1872
January 3, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Reposted by The Grave Muse
selinesigil.bsky.social
The mystery of Mari Lwyd
www.horniman.ac.uk/story/the-my...
The mystery of Mari Lwyd - Horniman Museum and Gardens
It’s hard to know how many folklore traditions started, or where they have come from. Mari Lwyd is one such Welsh tradition.
www.horniman.ac.uk
January 1, 2025 at 11:49 AM
thegravemuse.bsky.social
I found myself on a side-quest today looking through some of my ephemera.
I looked at this photograph from my piles of Victorian photographs and I can’t work out if it’s a post-mortem photograph. What do you think?
Sickly looking child in Victorian clothes with basket. Words below state ‘do not forget me’ in gold lettering
January 1, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Reposted by The Grave Muse
archive.org
Welcome to the public domain, THE SKELETON DANCE (1929). 🎞️ 🎶👻 Walt Disney Studios' first Silly Symphony cartoon is a wordless masterpiece of synchronized animation & music featuring dancing skeletons in a graveyard.

➡️ https://blog.archive.org/2025/01/01/welcome-to-the-public-domain-in-2025⁠
January 1, 2025 at 5:10 AM
Reposted by The Grave Muse
chriswoodyard.bsky.social
Death, ringing in the New Year.

From Deaths Knell, Or, the sick mans Passing-bell, William Perkin, 1664.
British Library
#TheVictorianBookoftheDead
#NewYearsEve
Man in canopied bed. Skeletal Death figure ringing bell and holding up an arrow or dart, threatening to the man in bed.
December 31, 2024 at 4:54 PM
Reposted by The Grave Muse
g0blinegg.bsky.social
A Wraith is a spirit that typically takes the form of a person living locally. Such apparitions are universal omens of Death. In some places such as Child's Ercall in Shropshire, Wraiths are typically encountered on special nights of the year, such as New Year's Eve.

#Folklore #Shropshire #Wraith
December 31, 2024 at 7:58 AM
Reposted by The Grave Muse
deathstudiespod.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/fi/podcast/t...
The Death Studies Podcast
Social Sciences Podcast · 45 Episodes · Monthly
podcasts.apple.com
December 29, 2024 at 8:47 PM
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wolfq4.bsky.social
Worth sharing this starter pack again for all the Taphophiles and anyone interested in Graveyards, memorialisation or funerary practices
#TaphophileTuesday
#MementoMori
#12DaysofGraves
#Skystorians
#EarlyModern
go.bsky.app/KGLpmwp
December 31, 2024 at 8:56 AM
Reposted by The Grave Muse
curiositiesmuseum.bsky.social
Street Vendor Selling Mummies in Egypt, 1875.
December 31, 2024 at 9:36 AM
Reposted by The Grave Muse
drlindseyfitz.bsky.social
Here's a graveyard gun used to prevent bodysnatchers from stealing corpses, c.1820. Set at the foot of a grave, the gun had three tripwires around it. One such gun accidentally killed a grieving father.

This is the kind of useless knowledge you can expect from following me. 😂 #histmed
A bulky gun anchored to a piece of wood by a chain.
December 27, 2024 at 1:54 PM
thegravemuse.bsky.social
Latest post about The Resurrection Angel:

thegravemuse.wixsite.com/my-site/post...

#taphophiletuesday #cemeteries
The Resurrection Angel - Monteverde - Neo-Classical 1882
Ever since I saw photographs of Giulio Monteverde's (1837-1917) 'Resurrection Angel' (also known as 'The Angel of Death'), created for the Onetto Family Tomb in Staglieno, I've been captivated. I knew...
thegravemuse.wixsite.com
December 31, 2024 at 3:53 AM
thegravemuse.bsky.social
First post finally up on my new blog. I’ll get the swing of this soon until then here’s a photo l surreptitiously took in Cementerio General de Valencia
Link to my blog is in my bio.
December 30, 2024 at 2:24 PM