I'm sure that almost everyone has seen a hearse of some sort. You don't have to be mourning the loss of a loved one to see one drive down the road. There aren't many things that symbolize death like a hearse does. When you see one, you know exactly what it's being used for. A casket almost falls into the same category, but there are lots of people out there that have caskets for fun or decoration. In fact, my husband and I gave Ami James a miniature wine casket when he did my tattoo on "Miami Ink". Ha, ha...a casket as a gift! Hearses? Not so much.

Although I'm sure you've seen a hearse before, you might have missed out on seeing some of these awesome funeral coaches roll by. Now's you chance to witness the morbid beauty of an undertaker's most important vehicle.

This hearse is just gorgeous. Look at the ornate wood carvings and the way they add elegance to this morbid coach. As cemeteries moved out of town, people needed a way to transport the dead to their graves. Before automobiles, horses did all of the work. When I own a horse-drawn hearse, I will make sure that it is extravagant like this one. My young black Percheron draft horse is getting big. I'd better figure out what I want pretty soon! :)

Funeral cars like these often have elaborate curtain carvings and coach lamps that hang next to the driver.

When automobiles took over the work of the horses, funeral coaches were still made to resemble their horse-drawn counterparts. As you can see, this hearse still boasts the awesome woodwork and it looks like a wagon with a steering wheel and engine. See, it even still has the large coach lamps reminiscent of the horse-drawn hearses.

Talk about class! This amazing hearse looks like it's fit for royalty. Notice the tray that comes out of the side. It's called a "side-servicing casket table". Rather than sliding the casket through the back door, this tray swivels back into the coach. This tray could extend out to either side of the hearse. This made up for the fact that this coach had no back door. The silver colored bar covering the back window is called a "landau bar". Aren't the wire wheels interesting? It's all about luxury with this hearse!

This one reminds me of a gangster car because it is so sleek and long. Back in those days, hearses had a lot of class. This style was proposed by Eureka to bring back the elaborate wood carvings over the window panels. I love the open driver's seat and the wide white wall tires.

Notice the carved window coverings of this hearse? Even though the horse-drawn funeral wagons were driven out of the scene by auto-hearses, the ornate decoration continued to survive. Notice the suicide doors reminiscent of those gangster days. Although considered to be dangerous, I don't think the back passenger of this vehicle is at risk of falling out if the door was to fly open during transit ;)

Again with the elaborate carvings. You just don't see artistry like this on today's funeral cars. The carving on the panels is distinctive because of the fine rippled detail of the curtains and the decorative scrolls found on the rest of the panels.

To me, this one looks like a Catholic church on wheels! The stained glass windows have a very reverently religious appearance. If this hearse crossed my path, I'd probably feel compelled to cross myself even though I'm a jack-Catholic :) This is truly a one-of-a-kind funeral car.

This sleek pair of funeral coaches boasts a brave style. Even though they look like flower cars, they are just unique hearses because the back platform wasn't designed to carry funeral flowers. The flower arrangements would just slide off. These resembled a carved flower car and not very many were made.

Here's a classy flower car. Looking at the back, you can see the platform that transports funeral flower arrangements. There is a latch in the very back that opens and the casket slides in under the flowers. You don't really see this style of funeral coach anymore.

I just love 50's style automobiles! I love them so much that I own one (not a hearse though). I can always tell a 50's car by the rounded edges. The frames look like bubbles to me :) The large landau bar is impressive on this hearse but my favorite part is the taillight style.

I just had to include this flower car because the mortuary I work for had one exactly like it. As soon as he saw this photo, my coworker's eyes lit up and he said, "Oh, my gosh! That's the coach we had when I first started here!!" The then proceeded to tell me about every part of the car and how it worked. For instance, there's a latch in the back that lifts up so that you can open the door for the casket.

This hearse holds a special place in my heart...and on my back! This is my favorite style of funeral coach. Look at the back fins! They're just amazing. No other hearse has style like this :) This is the photo I showed to Ami James when I got my tattoo on "Miami Ink". His rendition of this classic hearse is fabulous! Watch "Miami Ink" in the coming months to see it!

This modern hearse looks like a space shuttle! It's innovative style is sleek and impressive. Notice the new take on the classic landau bar? It's called the "silver comet" ornamentation. It looks like an elongated "E". If your funeral home's name starts with an "E", this is the new hearse for you.

I wanted a tattoo to symbolize my incredibly rewarding career and the reason I chose it. So, a classic hearse is the centerpiece of the artwork. Ami James certainly did a fantastic job! Watch for it this year on "Miami Ink"!

Please note that there are different types of funeral vehicles. Hearses can be either "landau style" with the shiny landau bars decorating the back or "limo style" meaning that the back is pretty much all windows. Flower cars are much different. They look like old Ford Rancheros or even El Caminos. The flowers are placed in the back of the flower car and the casket usually slides in the compartment underneath the flowers.

Meet Emma Balmer at www.lacynjordan.com

CLICK HERE to get to her Mortician's Blog

* Photo Source: American Funeral Vehicles 1883-2003, An Illustrated History; Walter M.P. McCall; Iconografix; 2003