The Manger

"The Manger", Gertrude Kasebier, 1903

During the early 1900s Gertrude Kasebier was one of the leading portrait photographers in the US.  This photograph portrays her attentiveness to pictorial composition and exploration of the effects light has on white-on-white.  Its title is used to reference the importance of motherhood and the nurturing bond between mother and child. Kasebier has made the image relatable due to the ambiguity found in the woman’s face and form, who could truly represent any motherly figure. The close physical contact between the woman and child emphasizes the tenderness of the moment and the loving care that the ideal mother feels for her child.