Hidden Mother

The term “hidden mother” refers to the widespread but little-known practice in 19th-century portrait photography of concealing a mother’s body as she supported and calmed her child during the lengthy exposures demanded by early photographic technology. In the final portrait of the child, the mother—often covered from head-to-toe in a black drop cloth—appears as an uncanny figure. A practical strategy deployed by the photographer unintentionally yielded an evocative representation of the mother; never meant to be seen, her presence nonetheless haunts these images. Part photography book, part essay, Hidden Mother enlists these strange and powerful images to present a lyrical account of becoming a mother through adoption. Shortlisted for Best First Photobook 2017 by Aperture / Paris Photo. Laura Larson’s much anticipated project is a deftly layered tale of mothers, some occluded by history, and one in particular, told vividly in the first person, of the author’s fraught journey to motherh