This portrait by Gertrude Kasebier really stood out to me because of its soft features and the fact that the subject’s face is not shown. The subject is wearing a long dress with a long veil that covers her head. She is holding what seems to be a baby that is completely covered by cloth. The subject is lit from side lighting coming from the window next to her. This photo is called “The Manger” which I find very fitting because the piece does allude to the biblical figure Mother Mary. It is as if Kasebier captured the birth of Jesus Christ inside the “manger.” The woman’s veil very much resembles how Catholic paintings and effigies depict Mother Mary, with a veil that shrouds her head. There seems to be a trough in the background and the subject seems to be sitting inside a stable, which represents Baby Jesus’s humble birth. This portrait tells a story of how ideal motherhood often alludes to Mother Mary.
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/
Good analysis. Kasebier was known for her use of soft focus and in this case, natural lighting.