In the 19th Century having a photograph taken was a lengthy process. Frustrated by the difficulties of getting children to sit still long enough to snap a proper photo , photographers in the 1800’s conceived of a technique called “The Hidden Mother”. Draping a sheet over the mothers head in an attempt to camouflage her as a part of the furniture to better emphasize the child, the mother was then able to hold her infant and keep them still long enough for the camera to get an exposure. Vintage photographs already have a eerie feel to them, but these images of moms as cloaked phantoms take the creep factor to the next level.
My little sister recently found a treasure trove of home movies and sent me some. This is me at a water park in Orlando, Florida, circa 1976, and looking at my young self now I am just FLABBERGASTED to discover HOW INCREDIBLY GAY!GAY!GAY! I was. I’m mincing. I’m posing. I’m pouting. How did I make it to adulthood without angry mobs of rednecks chasing me down and beating me to a bloody pulp? I’m used to seeing old pictures of myself as a child, but nobody swishes in pictures. This is a REVELATION.
