Hidden Mother

January 22, 2016 - May 1, 2016 

Second Floor Galleries

Curated by Laura Larson

Hidden Mother presents a survey of the nineteenth-century child portraits known as “hidden mother” photographs, a widespread but little-known 19th-century studio practice. The term, “hidden mother,” refers to the strategy of concealing a mother's body as she supported and stilled her infant during the lengthy exposures required by early photographic technology. Hidden Mother affords a comprehensive overview of this fascinating practice as it appears in a range of early photographic media while illuminating the powerful resonance that these obscure vintage images hold for timeless concerns of motherhood.