Picture This: Whether Or Not To Add A Picture To A Headstone Or Monument
One of the options you have when arranging for a headstone or monument for a grave is to add a picture of the deceased person. This is common practice in some countries but not so common in North America. However, people do ask about having a picture of the deceased as part of the gravestone design, and companies can incorporate the picture into the stone. If you're designing something as large as a monument, you literally have a lot of room to play with. While many monuments are fairly understated — even elaborately carved statues are usually not painted, for example — you'll still have a spot for the person's information and can add what pictures you like. But think that through and be sure that's what you want to do for the headstone monument.
It Makes the Person More Real to Observers
Adding a picture offers the benefit of showing observers what the person looked like. This can make the person more real and give those who knew the person a point to look at and talk to when visiting the grave. A picture can be of just the person's face or of a happy event in the person's life; some headstone companies can create collages or montages of different pictures, allowing you to show observers more about the person's life. This humanizes that name carved into stone.
There Is a Minor Chance of Someone Appropriating the Picture
There really haven't been reports of people prying pictures out of headstones, but with the rise of photography sites like Instagram, more people are putting all aspects of their lives online, including pictures of headstones once a loved one dies, for example. Other people are creating websites that catalog all the headstones in a cemetery. The result is that the picture of the person on the headstone is now online and at risk of being taken (through right-clicking and saving). Sometimes this could be for nefarious purposes (impersonation, etc.) and sometimes it's someone just looking for a random picture because they don't want to pay a stock photo site.
Old or Young?
You've also got to think about whether you'd want a picture of the person when they were older or younger if this is someone who lived for a few decades. Many people choose younger photos, but some feel that places a stigma on age. If you've got some particularly contentious family members who might complain, leaving the picture off might be more peaceful for you.
Headstones and monuments can be customized, but once they've been manufactured, they can be difficult to modify. It's usually easier to add text and other designs than it is to remove them. Speak with your family and the manufacturer to find out how much different additions would cost.
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