Funeral cards, a genealogical treasure trove

Sometimes entire batches of memorial cards are found. Institut fribourgeois d’héraldique et de généalogie

In some parts of Switzerland there is a rather unusual custom known as funeral cards. But like many others, this religious practice is disappearing. The interest in these cards now lies more with genealogists, for whom they are a mine of information.

In a few parts of Switzerland, the tradition of funeral cards, also known as souvenir pictures, remains strong. These small cardboard cards usually feature a photograph of the deceased, a few biographical details and a quotation from the Bible. Some also include a pious image or a prayer, extending the spiritual dimension of the remembrance.

These cards are traditionally distributed at the funeral, or at a later date, along with a letter of thanks for the condolences received or an invitation to the 30th Mass, a Catholic celebration that takes place one month after the bereavement.

They primarily fulfil a religious function, inviting us to pray for the repose of the soul of the deceased, but above all they have a memorial function: they recall the dates of birth and death and provide a tangible reminder of a loved one.

In the past, they were often kept in family albums or used as bookmarks in missals.

Massive distribution

Funeral cards first appeared in the first half of the 19th century and are historically linked to European Catholicism, mainly in Latin countries (Italy, France, Belgium) and Germanic countries (Germany, Austria). Outside Europe, the practice spread mainly in Quebec, but there are also examples in Catholic communities that emigrated to the United States.

Switzerland joined this movement under the influence of its neighbours. Initially the preserve of wealthy, devout families, these cards became widely available from the last quarter of the 19th century, boosted by industrialisation, which reduced printing costs, and by the democratisation of photography, making it possible to personalise them.

The explosion in death caused by the Spanish flu of 1918-1919 acted as a powerful accelerator. Because of the restrictions imposed on funeral ceremonies, funeral cards became an essential means of paying tribute to the dead. To meet the influx of requests, funeral directors and printers quickly put standardised models into circulation. So the Spanish flu pandemic did not create the funeral card, but it did establish and generalise its use.

An inexorable decline

After the Second World War, souvenir pictures were everywhere and enjoyed a golden age. But this boom actually marked the beginning of their decline: from the 1960s onwards, their use declined rapidly. The trend began in the German-speaking and Protestant regions, before spreading to the Latin and Catholic regions from the 1980s onwards.

There are several reasons for this decline. The secularisation of society plays a decisive role: with the marked decline in religious practice, the funeral card is losing its primary function as a support for prayer. At the same time, changes in funeral rites – fewer objects were distributed, and religious ceremonies were gradually replaced by civil ones – further weakened the use of souvenir images.

They are also losing their social function. In the past, by keeping alive the memory of the departed, they contributed to the cohesion of societies that were still largely village and rural. Today, this anchoring is much weaker in communities where a large proportion of the population commutes, and where local ties have weakened.

Finally, having contributed to their growth, technical developments are now tending to reduce the use of funeral cards. New media – press announcements, obituary websites, online platforms and even social networks – are now taking over much of the memorial function that cards once fulfilled.

Of course, memorial images have not disappeared altogether. In some regions, such as Valais and a few parishes in Fribourg, the tradition remains alive and well. But the decline seems inexorable, and it’s not out of the question that these cards will disappear in a few years.

‘Leaves on the tree’

On the other hand, souvenir cards are still very useful for genealogical research, as they provide valuable information about people who have disappeared: first and last names, dates of birth and death, sometimes the place of death, occupation and other biographical details.

A typical funeral card with some biographical information. Swissinfo/op

Although this information is generally contained in parish or civil registers, it can prove invaluable. It helps to fill in certain gaps when registers are incomplete, missing or subject to consultation restrictions. It also helps to distinguish between people with the same name or to better understand family relationships.

But the main interest of these souvenir cards lies in the photograph. These are often the only known portraits of people born before cameras became commonplace in the home.

“It’s really great to be able to put a face to a name,” says Nicolas Feyer, president of the Institut fribourgeois d’héraldique et de généalogie (Fribourg institute of heraldry and genealogy). “It’s a bit like putting leaves on a family tree.”

Digitising to preserve

These old souvenir cards are not rare: they are sometimes found together in albums or kept in simple shoeboxes. But this heritage remains fragile, exposed to the wear and tear of time and the disappearance of these often modest media.

“These are objects that can be disposed of quite easily,” Feyer says. “They are often images of people we don’t know, and they seem to be of little interest to people who aren’t interested in genealogy. Yet they are a heritage that should be preserved.”

This preservation involves digitising existing maps. The Fribourg institute has launched an appeal to the public and has already succeeded in putting 7,000 funeral cards online on its websiteExternal link.

In German-speaking Switzerland, the Zentralschweizerische Gesellschaft für Familienforschung (Central Swiss Society for Family Research) had already paved the way with Portrait.Archiv.chExternal link, a website dedicated to preserving portraits of deceased people, mainly from Central Switzerland. The site contains the portraits of almost 300,000 people. Of these, more than 21,000 come from funeral cards.

Both the Central Switzerland and Fribourg sites have strong regional roots, while remaining open to wider horizons. “The Swiss Abroad certainly have images of their Swiss ancestors!Both the Central Switzerland and Fribourg sites have strong regional roots, while remaining open to wider horizons. “The Swiss Abroad certainly have images of their Swiss ancestors!” says Nicolas Feyer.

Edited by Samuel Jaberg. Translated from French by AI/ts

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