Description: This photograph shows a toddler seated on the lap of its mother, whose head is covered with dark fabric. This technique, referred to as the "Hidden Mother," was often used in turn-of-the-century child photography. Handwritten on the negative is the name Emra Smith of Calcutta, West Virginia. This photograph was taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing, ca. 1896-1912. Like most of Ewing's work, it was taken in the region of southeastern Ohio and central West Virginia. Born in 1870 in Washington County, Ohio, near Marietta, Ewing most likely began his photography career in the 1890s. The 1910 US Census and a 1912-1913 directory list him as a photographer. A negative signed "Ewing Brothers" and a picture with his younger brother, Frank, indicate that Frank may have joined the business. After 1916, directories list Albert as a salesman. He died in 1934. The Ewing Collection consists of 5,055 glass plate negatives, each individually housed and numbered. Additionally, the collection includes approximately 450 modern contact prints made from the glass plate negatives. Subjects include infants and young children, elderly people, families, school and religious groups, animals and rural scenes. In 1982, the Ohio Historical Society (now the Ohio History Connection) received the collection, still housed in the original dry plate negative boxes purchased by Ewing. A selection of the original glass plate negatives were exhibited for the first time in 2013 at the Ohio History Center. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV71_B27_F2554
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Photographers--Ohio; Portrait photography--United States--History; Families; Children; Hidden Mother
Places: Calcutta (West Virginia)