Why Was Outlaw Jessie James' Body Photographed?

Question:It actually is a pretty iconic photo. Jessie James' corpse is strapped to a wooden bed upright with many people standing around it.

What was the purpose of this "event"?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: It actually is a pretty iconic photo. Jessie James' corpse is strapped to a wooden bed upright with many people standing around it.

What was the purpose of this "event"?

Aside from the other answers is one hugely important point:
As popular as professional photography had become the fact remained that Jesse James is not known to have ever been photographed during his life.That is why photographic evidence was needed that he was indeed dead. There had been a bounty on his head so there would need to be some sort of proof to the claim of his "capture" or better yet, murder by the cowards Bob and Charlie Ford. They shot him from behind in his house while he was adjusting a picture on the wall.

He was a famous bandit. If they didn't have some form of real proof, like a photo, then some would think he was still alive.
Also, the man was a form of celebrity, that picture would be worth a good deal to the person that took it. (early Paparazzi?)

Many people believed it was not Jesse James; so his body was put on exhibit.

Why do we film nearly all executions? Why did (do) we bring images like Vietnam and Iraq into our living rooms? Why did we play the trade towers falling five million times each day?

same reason we took pics of the hussein kids.... proof

Proof...also photography was still faily new and they used every opportunity to picture famous people ,dead outlaws whatever, and they were popular souvineers,macabre pictures of famous dead peole stayed very,very popular thru till the 1930's..jesse james,dillenger,bonnie and clyde..even today theres a thriving market for pictures of dead celebs and even post mortem photos taken by medical staff. Up thru the 1920's or so a huge number of people that had children die and especially babies,would have pictures taken of them in a peaceful pose and display it even, as onc e they were gone a picture was all one had to show someone had ever existed.