Daily AncestorPraying hands
Praying hands on a gravestone show religious devotion; many 20th century versions copy Albrecht Durer's famous drawing.
Hands pressed together, palms touching, stand for prayer and a devout life. Colonial and Victorian stones show praying hands among their allegorical images, and a National Park Service guide counts them among the religious symbols of 19th and early 20th century Kentucky graves.
On more recent stones the design is often the Praying Hands of the German artist Albrecht Durer. Do not confuse them with two hands shaking, which mean farewell or marriage.
As seen in a recordTown or church cemetery, 1900 to 1970
Praying hands above the names: Henry L. Voss 1891 to 1958, Alma Voss 1895 to 1971
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Praying hands." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/gravestone-symbols/praying-hands. Last checked 2026-10-15.