Back from the Beyond

Hello, Gentle Readers. I’m sorry to have been away so long. I spent the COVID lockdown and a long summer of isolation writing a book that will hopefully be published in mid-2021. Now that is accomplished, I’m planning to start a new series of articles here. Thank you for your patience. In the meantime, enjoy this recent addition to my small collection of “hidden mother” photos. The original is a cased tintype from about 1862. (Colorized by by the AI program DeOldify). Ω

Because little can be seen of this nicely dressed infant’s hair, its sex cannot be deduced. Mum, crouching behind the chair, wears a bonnet that dates to perhaps 1861. Her forehead can just be seen beneath the bonnet’s brim and row of decorative flowers. One pagoda sleeve of her dress and one hand is visible at left.

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Author: Ann Longmore-Etheridge

Writer, journalist, editor, historian.

2 thoughts on “Back from the Beyond”

  2. I can’t believe I almost missed the hidden mother in your photo! I have one too. It’s a cabinet card from around the 1900’s. You can just barely see the mom’s sleeve as she’s also hiding behind a wicker chair holding her little one up. Sweet 🙂

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