Scanned from a stereoview circa 1868
A view of a funeral procession for a dignitary in Naples
The wearing of robes and hoods by the attendants at a funeral in Naples (also in Florence) originated in the medieval times of plague. So great was the fear of the plague that funeral attendants were shunned in society, the robes and hoods were a means of hiding their identity.
Photo by Giorgio Sommer, Italian, born Germany (1834 - 1914)