hidden mother – "Your Dying Charlotte"

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.

Who was “Dying Charlotte”?

Charlotte was from a respectable British family of the Regency period—a clan that could afford gold and faceted jet mourning jewelry to be commissioned. Charlotte was probably a young woman when she realized she was dying, possibly of consumption. The simple style and shape of the brooch dates it to around 1815.

In the Collection Highlights below and on the Contact page, you can see the brooch, which reads on its reverse: "Dear Henry, accept this as a token of sincere Love from your Dying Charlotte."
Customizer.

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Category: hidden mother

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