A sleeping child was often used to signify death during the Victorian era. As expected, it generally decorates the grave of a baby or young child.
Photo courtesy of Keith Luken ©2005. See more in his Magnolia Cemetery gallery.
Beautiful Magnolia Cemetery, in Charleston, SC, is filled with Victorian statues and carvings. This small sleeping child is just one of many such examples.
Figures of sleeping babies or children often appear with very few clothes, symbolizing that young innocent children had nothing to cover up or hide.