Victoria's Shadow

In the Victorian Era (1837 to 1901), Queen Victoria's reign in England, with the arrival of cameras, English mothers sought to have a memory of their young children. However, at that time, photography required a long exposure, which was a challenge when it came to photographing restless babies and children. The solution adopted by the photographers was to include the mothers in the photos, so that the children would calm down. However, the mothers could not be seen, so they were “disguised” with curtains, towels, bedspreads or any cloth that would cover them completely. In the photograph, the maternal presence is obvious, which brings us an affective yet disturbing aesthetic. Based on this historical fact, this project aims to bring all these reflections to contemporary times and broaden the discussion. Certainly, today we can bring other interpretations such as the invisibility of the mother, the woman in the patriarchal society, the lack of her own identity, the absence of the father and even the denial of herself prioritizing her children.