The Walking Dead
Date & Place:
in USA
Advertisement
Advertisement
The Walking Dead
Updated Jun 26, 2025
Loading...one moment please
Kathy Pinna
14 followers 2.74k+ favorites
09/17/2011
Comments
AncientFaces
382k+ followers 411 favorites
10/19/2020
My apologies to any descendants but this 1914 photo from the Library of Congress of Mrs. Middleton Elliot, Jr and Capt. C.B. Morgan, U.S.N looks more like a photo of the "walking dead" than people at a fancy ball. Maybe it's because they were caught with their eyes closed? (Flash cameras were BRIGHT back then.) But gotta believe the Library of Congress - they are real people!!
via Facebook
First of all I'm pretty sure the "woman" is a man. And The way they're posing looks more like mannequins than dead. So I wouldn't call it creepy so much as weird.
via Facebook
Click on the link - she's the wife of a naval officer. Really. :)
via Facebook
I see what you mean, though. Her face looks like Jack Lemon or Tony Curtis in "Some Like It Hot".
via Facebook
I think they are dead ☹️ it was common in that era to photograph the deceased as if they were still alive, sometimes even with surviving relatives..look at the rod against the gentlemans leg..they used props and rods like this to hold poses x
via Facebook
Rachel Chantelle ,looks like he is holding gloves and a cane to me.
via Facebook
Rachel Chantelle they could never get dead bodies to stand like that...No amount of stands would be able to keep them from slumping...
Ree Young
1 follower 234 favorites
10/19/2020
Rachel Chantelle Quite a few of the "dead" photographs are of people who were not dead at all. Having one's photo taken back then was a big deal and people were serious...didn't smile.
The process the body goes through after death, even when embalmed, would keep it from being posed like this. There's nothing holding up the woman at all.
Plus, the stands used to hold a person still were used at a much earlier time to help keep a living person from moving and causing the photo to be blurred.
By 1914, cameras were 35 mm and families often had them...no need to sit perfectly still in front of a big camera with plates and flash powder. Cameras were mass produced for the public by Eastman Kodak as early as 1900.
The process the body goes through after death, even when embalmed, would keep it from being posed like this. There's nothing holding up the woman at all.
Plus, the stands used to hold a person still were used at a much earlier time to help keep a living person from moving and causing the photo to be blurred.
By 1914, cameras were 35 mm and families often had them...no need to sit perfectly still in front of a big camera with plates and flash powder. Cameras were mass produced for the public by Eastman Kodak as early as 1900.
Ree Young
1 follower 234 favorites
10/19/2020
Doreen Crow Waters Not all women fit society's rigid standard of feminine appearance.
via Facebook
Rachel Chantelle It isn't a rod, it's a dress sword.
via Facebook
Joanne Fonseca they would use rods and stands etc, have a look on Google, i find it weirdly fascinating! X
via Facebook
Rachel Chantelle It's a sword and it doesn't reach the floor. As this captain went on to have a great career in the US Navy, as a living person, I doubt he was dead in this photo.
via Facebook
Don't think so - it was taken for newspapers at a Ball.
Ree Young
1 follower 234 favorites
10/19/2020
Nathalie Vera There's nothing holding the woman up. This is not postmortem. Many photos that people think are of the dead really are not. We're just used to people in photos looking more "lively." And the "dead" eye look in some is simply the way blue eyes looked in the old photos.
"The use by photographers of a stand or arm rest (sometimes referred to as a Brady stand), which aided living persons to remain still long enough for the camera's lengthy exposure time, has given rise to this myth. While 19th-century people may have wished their loved ones to look their best in a memorial photograph, evidence of a metal stand should be understood as proof that the subject was a living person."
Source:
"The use by photographers of a stand or arm rest (sometimes referred to as a Brady stand), which aided living persons to remain still long enough for the camera's lengthy exposure time, has given rise to this myth. While 19th-century people may have wished their loved ones to look their best in a memorial photograph, evidence of a metal stand should be understood as proof that the subject was a living person."
Source:
via Facebook
There's something.about their eyes that makes them look deceised.
via Facebook
Her skirt looks really short for 1914
Heather Brennan
79 favorites
10/19/2020
Elisabetta Apollonio agreed and pantyhose were not yet available
via Facebook
Heather M. Brennan
stockings were invented and the design on them is FABULOUS...
stockings were invented and the design on them is FABULOUS...
via Facebook
Elisabetta Apollonio if it was a fancy dress ball, it could be from 1914. Some of those costumes were pretty risqué.
Ree Young
1 follower 234 favorites
10/19/2020
Heather M. Brennan Why do you think those are pantyhose???
via Facebook
David Phelps they could never get a dead body to be upright like that no matter how many stands or contraptions they used..
Ree Young
1 follower 234 favorites
10/19/2020
David Phelps There's nothing holding that woman upright. The human body doesn't cooperate when dead!
Please read this!
Please read this!
Heather Brennan
79 favorites
10/19/2020
Interesting. I thought the onset of pantyhose did not appear til much later and that hemlines were not above knee til well after 30s
via Facebook
Heather they're wearing stockings, which were, and the risqué length is suitable for fancy dress then.
Ree Young
1 follower 234 favorites
10/19/2020
Heather M. Brennan I don't understand why people keep thinking this woman is wearing pantyhose!
via Facebook
Stockings and panthose are basicly the same thing, most people now days know them as pantyhose.
via Facebook
Marilynn Marlow No darling, stockings are two pieces, held up with a garter belt with two fasteners for each stockung, one front , one back. Pantyhose is one piece of fabric with the legs attached to the nylon panties.
Ree Young
1 follower 234 favorites
10/20/2020
Marilynn Marlow Back in my younger days, I worked in a factory where we made pantyhose.
They are NOT the same thing as stockings, and pantyhose were not invented until 1959!
You're making quite an effort to not admit you are wrong, but it does not change the FACTS.
They are NOT the same thing as stockings, and pantyhose were not invented until 1959!
You're making quite an effort to not admit you are wrong, but it does not change the FACTS.
via Facebook
I didnt say they were the same...I said most people these days use the terms interchangeably. Yes, I know the difference.
via Facebook
Lol...Ree Young ...I wasnt trying to admit i was wrong or right...I was saying most people now days use the terms interchangeably. I know the difference. No if others would admit most likely in 1915 she was not wearing STOCKINGS that are shear....
Heather Brennan
79 favorites
10/19/2020
Much more plausible attire for the era is...
Ree Young
1 follower 234 favorites
10/19/2020
Heather M. Brennan That's formal evening wear in your example. This woman is wearing a dress that's fancy for a fancy occasion, but ball gowns were not worn to every dance or event.
Ree Young
1 follower 234 favorites
10/19/2020
James Tarzia Not every woman is beautiful or society's idea of feminine-looking, especially with some of the earlier hairstyles.
via Facebook
The comnents here are ridiculous. They probably blinked because of the expoding flashbulb. 🙄
via Facebook
Melanie Sands every single picture on the internet, someone 'thinks they're dead' or 'she's a man'! 🙄
via Facebook
Rachel Chantelle There's a facebook page called The Thantos Archives, if you want to see pix of dead people. But just because some photos are black and white, and old, doesn't mean they are of people who were dead at the time. Just like old houses are not automatically spooked. 🙄. Why don't people talk about ghosts in hospitals? Thousands die in hospitals every year. But no , it has to be some mouldy old house.
via Facebook
I agree that dresses were not that short in 1914.
via Facebook
Jan Burrell Maybe. Or maybe the date was wrong.
Ree Young
1 follower 234 favorites
10/20/2020
Linda Cucullu Newell Not everyone followed a particular fashion. Even in 1914 when hemlines went up a great deal and got to knee-length, some women wore dresses that were longer or just above the knee.
Even now, hemlines vary. A certain fashion simply does not mean everyone wore the exact same thing!
Even now, hemlines vary. A certain fashion simply does not mean everyone wore the exact same thing!
Ree Young
1 follower 234 favorites
10/19/2020
C.B Morgan went on in 1921 to be commander of the Special Service Squadron, "a component of the United States Navy during the earlier part of the 20th century. The squadron patrolled the Caribbean Sea as an instrument of gunboat diplomacy. It was headquartered in Balboa, Panama Canal Zone."
Can't find anything about Mrs. Middleton Elliot Jr. It wasn't until the 1970s that married women were identified by their own first names, not just by their husband.
But you can buy this photo from Amazon.
Can't find anything about Mrs. Middleton Elliot Jr. It wasn't until the 1970s that married women were identified by their own first names, not just by their husband.
But you can buy this photo from Amazon.
Ree Young
1 follower 234 favorites
10/20/2020
Morgan's uniform is more elaborate than any the US Navy had, especially at the time of his military service, so possibly that's a clue that this was a fancy dress ball..."fancy dress" ball was what costume balls were called back then.
That could account for the woman's detailed stockings, shorter than usual hemline, and the dress' asymmetrical hem.
BUT they are NOT dead. Morgan went on to become a commander in the US Navy's Special Service Squadron, which is very difficult to do for a dead person!!
That could account for the woman's detailed stockings, shorter than usual hemline, and the dress' asymmetrical hem.
BUT they are NOT dead. Morgan went on to become a commander in the US Navy's Special Service Squadron, which is very difficult to do for a dead person!!
via Facebook
Jan Burrell okay, you're right and I am wrong. Happy now?
People tagged in this photo
Topic related photos
Popular Photos
These historical photos have generated quite the buzz!
This collection of historical photos has got people talking. These photos - either because of the subject and/or the story - have generated a lot of comments among the community. What do you have to s... 
Scary
Historical photos that scare us or are so funny that they're scary!
Scientists say that they can't quantify what scares us - they only know that fear is individual. We can also say that it varies from decade to decade. These are photos from the past that gave our an... 
20th Century
Photos of the 1900's which brought us from the industrial age to the technological age.
From 1900 through 1999 we witnessed the beginning of flight to a man on the moon and a Mars Rover. We went from using phones tethered by cords and computers that filled rooms, to carrying the equivale... 
1910s
Discover the 1910's - a decade of upheaval.
World War 1, the Mexican Revolution, the Russian Revolution, the Easter Rising in Ireland . . . the sinking of the Titanic and the Lusitania. Spanish flu killed well over 20 million people world wide ... 
Fashion
Discover how fashion has changed over the years with this collection of photos.
Fashion styles & vintage clothing throughout the decades that will inspire, make you wish for those times again, or may make you ask "What were they thinking"?
Clothing styles have obviously changed ... Advertisement
Followers
Kathy Pinna
I am researching Tasker, Jones, Bowen, Rees of Wales; Kroetch, Chartrand of Canada; and Boggs, Ferguson, Smith, of West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky. Also Steeples of Kansas. And on my mother's New England roots - well, too numerous to name since she descends from Mayflower passengers as well as Dutch East India captains who arrived with their families before the Mayflower landed further north than was planned. :)
I'm a Founder of AncientFaces and support the community answering questions & helping members make connections to the past (thus my official title of Founder & Content and Community Director). For me, it's been a labor of love for over 20 years. I truly believe with all of my heart that everyone should be remembered for generations to come. I am 2nd generation San Jose and have seen a lot of changes in the area while growing up. We used to be known as the "Valley of Heart's Delight" (because the Valley was covered with orchards and there were many canneries to process the food grown here, which shipped all over the US) - now we have adopted the nickname "Capital of Silicon Valley" and Apple, Ebay, Adobe, Netflix, Facebook, and many more tech companies are within a few miles of my current home in Campbell (including AncientFaces). From a small town of 25,000, we have grown to 1 million plus. And when you add in all of the communities surrounding us (for instance, Saratoga, where I attended high school, living a block from our current Mayor), we are truly one of the big cities in the US. I am so very proud of my hometown. For more information see Kathy - Founder & Content and Community Director
I'm a Founder of AncientFaces and support the community answering questions & helping members make connections to the past (thus my official title of Founder & Content and Community Director). For me, it's been a labor of love for over 20 years. I truly believe with all of my heart that everyone should be remembered for generations to come. I am 2nd generation San Jose and have seen a lot of changes in the area while growing up. We used to be known as the "Valley of Heart's Delight" (because the Valley was covered with orchards and there were many canneries to process the food grown here, which shipped all over the US) - now we have adopted the nickname "Capital of Silicon Valley" and Apple, Ebay, Adobe, Netflix, Facebook, and many more tech companies are within a few miles of my current home in Campbell (including AncientFaces). From a small town of 25,000, we have grown to 1 million plus. And when you add in all of the communities surrounding us (for instance, Saratoga, where I attended high school, living a block from our current Mayor), we are truly one of the big cities in the US. I am so very proud of my hometown. For more information see Kathy - Founder & Content and Community Director
Kitty Goodwin
About me:I haven't shared any details about myself.
Kathy Pinna
I'm a Founder of AncientFaces and support the community answering questions & helping members make connections to the past (thus my official title of Founder & Content and Community Support ). For me, it's been a labor of love for over 20 years. I truly believe with all of my heart that everyone should be remembered for generations to come.
I am 2nd generation San Jose and have seen a lot of changes in the area while growing up. We used to be known as the "Valley of Heart's Delight" (because the Valley was covered with orchards and there were many canneries to process the food grown here, which shipped all over the US) - now we have adopted the nickname "Capital of Silicon Valley" and Apple, Ebay, Adobe, Netflix, Facebook, and many more tech companies are within a few miles of my current home in San Jose (including AncientFaces). From a small town of 25,000, we have grown to 1 million plus. And when you add in all of the communities surrounding us (for instance, Saratoga, where I attended high school, living a block from our previous Mayor), we are truly one of the big cities in the US. I am so very proud of my hometown. For more information see Kathy - Founder & Content and Community Director
My family began AncientFaces because we believe that unique photos and stories that show who people are/were should be shared with the world.
My family began AncientFaces because we believe that unique photos and stories that show who people are/were should be shared with the world.
Daniel Pinna
I want to build a place where my son can meet his great-grandparents. My grandmother Marian Joyce (Benning) Kroetch always wanted to meet her great-grandchildren, but she died just a handful of years before my son's birth.
So while she didn't have the opportunity to meet him, at least he will be able to know her.
For more information about what we're building see About AncientFaces. For information on the folks who build and support the community see Daniel - Founder & Creator.
My father's side is full blood Sicilian and my mother's side is a combination of Welsh, Scottish, German and a few other European cultures. One of my more colorful (ahem black sheep) family members came over on the Mayflower. He was among the first to be hanged in the New World for a criminal offense he made while onboard the ship.
My father's side is full blood Sicilian and my mother's side is a combination of Welsh, Scottish, German and a few other European cultures. One of my more colorful (ahem black sheep) family members came over on the Mayflower. He was among the first to be hanged in the New World for a criminal offense he made while onboard the ship.
Advertisement
ADVERTISEMENT
BY ANCESTRY.COM
Find records of Capt. Morgan