In the late 1800’s, a photograph required about 30 seconds of exposure time to take. So anyone sitting for a portrait had to be able to sit still for at least a minute or so.

Kids, of course, found this difficult, so some parents, in order to get pics of their brood, sat for the portrait with their children but tried to pretend like they weren’t in the picture by using various disguises and hiding spots — in curtains, under blankets, behind chairs, and more…

While the existence of the pictures proves that these parents accomplished their goal of getting their kids to sit for a portrait, it also proves that a grown-up holding a baby while under a dark shroud is really creepy…

Many of these images are included in Linda Fregni Nagler’s book The Hidden Mother.

(via The Guardian, Ridiculously Interesting, Flickr)

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