We have a fabulous prize on offer for the lucky winner of our May Spot-it! Competition – a photographic portrait session (more of that later). In the age of the selfie having a professional take your photo may seem a real indulgence but in Victorian Britain it was essential magic – the only way a family could introduce a new baby to relatives living elsewhere and often the only memento they had of children at a time of low life expectancy.
Something looks odd about this child’s photo though, doesn’t it? Spot the mother hidden under a curtain.
And she’s not the only one – was this a fashion statement?
Probably not – though I do rather like this one.
Ah – here’s a clue to solving the mystery – the disembodied hands are holding the baby in position from behind the chair.
No-one has a definitive answer as to why these mothers hid themselves but a reasonable explanation is that in an era when it took several long seconds to get a good picture babies had to be kept still and calm. Who better to do this than their mother. Why didn’t the mothers just show themselves?
We don’t know for sure but maybe they just wanted the child or children on their own to show off to friends and family.
If you would like to win a free photographic sitting (you won’t have to sit still for long I promise), enter our Spot-It! Competition for May. It’s easy as pie, just tell us what this building is
and follow the simple instructions on the link https://www.prickettandellis.com/spot-it/
Very Good Luck!!
