In our selfie-filled world where every phone is a camera and every phone-owner an amateur photographer, its hard to imagine our daily lives devoid of taking pictures. How can this pug, latte or karaoke night go undocumented?

Before its invention in the early 19th century, the absence of photography affected the way people experienced different stages of life. Including the grand finale -- death. If you attended a funeral in the 17th or 18th century in England and its colonies in North America, you might not have seen a large portrait of the deceased at his or her wake, or walked away with a program filled with visual memories. Instead, you might have left the final festivities with a literal piece of the deceased.

Nothing too morbid -- no toes or fingernails were given out as funeral favors. But if you were an immediate family member or close friend, you could have received a piece of mourning jewelry that likely had a piece of your late love one's hair.