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A child’s cast iron coffin, once used for the body of a yellow fever victim, is pictured at the History Museum of Mobile, Nov. 21, 2021, in Mobile, Alabama. The coffin, patented as the Fisk Airtight Coffin of Cast or Raised Metal, was a cast iron, air-tight coffin designed by Almond Fisk in 1848. The coffins were shaped like a sarcophagus but permitted transport over long distances and discouraged grave robbers. The coffin was also meant to prevent the spread of disease while offering a clear viewing panel of the face during the funeral. This empty coffin was unearthed after a flood at Twenty-Seven Mile Bluff on the Mobile River. (Photo by Carmen K. Sisson/Cloudybright)
Copyright
Copyright 2021 Carmen K. Sisson/Cloudybright
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4928x3264 / 46.1MB
Contained in galleries
Mobile, Alabama
A child’s cast iron coffin, once used for the body of a yellow fever victim, is pictured at the History Museum of Mobile, Nov. 21, 2021, in Mobile, Alabama. The coffin, patented as the Fisk Airtight Coffin of Cast or Raised Metal, was a cast iron, air-tight coffin designed by Almond Fisk in 1848. The coffins were shaped like a sarcophagus but permitted transport over long distances and discouraged grave robbers. The coffin was also meant to prevent the spread of disease while offering a clear viewing panel of the face during the funeral. This empty coffin was unearthed after a flood at Twenty-Seven Mile Bluff on the Mobile River. (Photo by Carmen K. Sisson/Cloudybright)