The Manger (Ideal Motherhood)
This photo from Gertrude Käsebier shows a women in what appears to be a wedding dress and a vail holding a baby rapped in a blanket. The mother appears to be sitting on something (not visible) and they look like they are in a wooden, run down room. The description from the website says they are in a stable stall. I think the “softness” of this photo, created by the slight blurriness (maybe just because it’s old) and not too harsh lighting creates a warm feeling that I think is reflected in motherhood (portrayed by the women and the baby). Additionally, I chose this photo because the contrast of the old run down barn with a women in a wedding dress is intriguing and makes me look more closely and want to know more about this photo. The title of this photo is “The Manger” which refers to an open box for horses to eat out of. In the photo the women appears to be breast feeding her baby sitting in a horse stall. The title of “The Manger” then makes sense and I think is kind of clever.
Gertrude Käsebier: The Manger (Ideal Motherhood). Newport, Rhode Island, United States (Place created). 1899. Retrieved from http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/62142/gertrude-kasebier-the-manger-ideal-motherhood-american-1899/
Intended to be a Christian reference of the Madonna and child, this is as you mentioned a soft focused portrait – part of the Pictorialism movement.