The message from Huge contains these words:
I'm neither defending the American practice nor acting as a proponent of it. Merely trying to give an indication of what generally takes place. "And it's a closed casket!" tends to be a piece of gossip that goes round, uttered in hushed tones with an air of speculation as to the reason why. For myself I can see no reason that I would want to have a coffin open.
When I first went to North America I was warned that if an older woman might ask "Would you like to see a picture of my husband?" I shouldn't be shocked if the picture produced showed him in his casket. I thought it was a crazy warning, but within one week it actually happened! I believe in Florida it's quite common to have the walls of one's best room decorated by "life"-size photos of the ancestors in their caskets. I'd prefer to refer to them as "death-size," but that's not quite my idea of desirable interior decor. However, tastes vary!