Little Lamb
Minolta Autocord Arist B&W 400
Whenever you see a little lamb in a cemetery, you can safely assume it’s a child’s resting spot. The lamb was traditionally used to represent innocence and the presence of a lamb of God. It always makes me sad to see a headstone like this, I can’t help but think of what might have been. Child health leading up to the 20th century was extremely poor, the mortality rate as high as 50% in many areas. Children were susceptible to to a wide variety of illness, such as diarrhea, whooping cough, croup, smallpox and measles. All of which doctors were unable to properly treat. It wasn’t until the last quarter of the 19th century that the field of pediatrics was organized. By the beginning of the 20th century a sharp increase in child health was seen due to better understanding of disease and how to treat and immunize children.
Evan I often wondered just what the lamb signified. Most of the stones with the lamb are very old and the script long ago weathered away. I really enjoy your blog. I follow you on Flickr and enjoy your works very much ☼ – jimmy brown (jumpinjimmyjava)