Horsemaning Was a Huge Photography Craze From a Century Ago

Horsemaning is the act of posing for a photograph in such a way that the subject appears to have been beheaded, their head resting on the ground or on a surface. Such photography was a fad in the 1920s. The practice derives its name from the Headless Horseman, an evil character from Washington Irving’s short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”.

Horsemanning requires two people to get their picture taken in a way that one body looks beheaded while the other is the detached head. The first subject of the picture poses in a way that their head is either tilted backwards or angled in a way that it is not visible in the picture frame. The second subject of the picture poses in a way that only their head is visible. The result is a perfect Horsemanning picture and illusion. Like every other photo trend that has gone viral, there is a constant urge amongst those who indulge in Horsemanning to find creative ways for this Internet meme.