FUNERARY ART

What can sometimes be called "morbid", I have found old cemeteries to be fascinating places for decorative arts.  Living in Atlanta, I had always heard about Oakland Cemetery.  Never had been there until recently when I was working in the area.  It was a green oasis in the city filled with beautiful architectural decorative elements and styles in every direction.  Of course I had a camera as I always do- so I snapped some shots.  
For a little history on Oakland- I pulled this from their website:

Art, Architecture and Poetry 
Oakland’s funerary art is unequaled in the area. Elaborate mausoleums, soaring sculptures and effusive inscriptions speak of an age when the bereaved found consolation in extravagant expression.

Impressive art and architecture can be seen in many styles: Victorian, Greek Revival, Gothic, Neo-classical, Egyptian and Exotic Revival. Several mausoleums feature stained glass windows from Tiffany Studios. Bronze urns over six feet high were cast at Gorham Manufacturing Company in New York, the first art foundry in America.

Figures carved from stone droop in sorrow, gaze pensively or reach to the heavens. The best known is the massive “Lion of Atlanta,” marking an estimated 3,000 graves of unknown Confederate soldiers disinterred from the battlefield. Icons are everywhere, employing symbols that speak a language of grief unknown in contemporary culture. The expertise of Historic Oakland Foundation plays an important role in preserving knowledge of 19th Century funerary symbolism and communicating its meaning.

Enjoy!