What was one of the strangest social habits of the Victorian age?

One of the strangest social habits of the Victorian age was the practice of "memento mori" photography. Memento mori is a Latin phrase meaning "remember you must die." In the Victorian era, it became a popular practice to take photographs of deceased loved ones, often posed in lifelike positions to create the illusion of them being alive. These photographs were sometimes the only visual record a family had of their departed loved one.

The practice of memento mori photography reflected the Victorians' attitudes toward death and mourning, which were characterized by elaborate rituals and customs. Families would often stage elaborate funerals and wear mourning attire for extended periods of time, sometimes years, after the death of a loved one.

Memento mori photography may seem strange or morbid by modern standards, but it was a way for Victorian families to cope with grief and remember their deceased relatives. These photographs served as tangible reminders of the impermanence of life and the inevitability of death in an era when mortality rates were higher, and death was a more common and visible part of everyday life.