For as long as I can remember I’ve enjoyed going to graveyards. Why? Because I’m a romantic at heart. You see, in my view, headstones are the final opportunity for the living to write a love letter to the deceased. Of course, the loved one didn’t carve the actual letters but I like to think that choices were made that allowed the individuals to put their personal stamp of pride and uniqueness on the headstone.
Ferndale Historic Cemetery in Ferndale, California
Beyond the romantic symbolism of the gravestone, of course, there is the letters. I love the engravings. I love those headstones that combine more than 4 styles—the nerve!—and I love those that are a single elegant style without decoration. Truly they are a lesson in letter style combinations that the living designer should purposefully seek out and study.
I have not done any earnest research because I fear that the pedantic knowledge will ruin the feeling I get from simply discovering as I go. But if anyone has a well-written article or paper on the subject I wouldn’t say no to that information.
My photos do not do these gravestones any justice. Perhaps someday I will go back with a better camera. But for now here are a few from the many graveyards I’ve visited.
Valley View Cemetery in Rockland, Idaho
St. Margaret’s Church, Ditchling, East Sussex, United Kingdom