How post-mortem photography began in Iceland remains uncertain, but these photographs can be traced to the late nineteenth century. The practice of post-mortem photography in Iceland and the Nordic countries occurred during the same times it was practiced in a variety of European countries, those of which dated these customs back centuries. As for Iceland, the role of visual art was not nearly as expansive with a select few examples dating back to medieval manuscript illustrations or memorial tablets of the 1700s. These examples were mainly restricted to experts in the field and were not consumed by the greater community.