cover image Looking at Death

Looking at Death

Barbara Norfleet. David R. Godine Publisher, $40 (144pp) ISBN 978-0-87923-964-0

This collection of 107 black-and-white photographs spanning 150 years, assembled from Harvard University archives, offers an eclectic and often gruesome portrayal of death, whether from violence or disease, at the theater or at home. Photographer Norfleet ( Manscape with Beasts ) contributes several insightful essays on attitudes and portrayals of death, suggesting that ``death has not only ceased to be a taboo subject, we once again have become preoccupied with it.'' The ``graceful and romantic'' death as portrayed on stage is contrasted to the ironic and graphic photographs taken at or used in medical schools. A stomach-wrenching section portrays violent death, from a grotesque Mussolini to splayed bodies of children murdered by gas. Most arresting are photographs of death's remains, such as one depicting a Capuchin church in Rome decorated with skulls. Family photographs of the dead, as well as photographs of mourning and ritual, conclude the book. The collection's variety can be a drawback; a concentration on one theme would have been more powerful. Norfleet acknowledges that more recent photographs of death are rare, and that the book lacks images of inner-city violence and AIDS. (Apr.)