It was such a dilemma for a daguerrotype photographer. Long exposures meant that the subjects needed to stay still while the image was captured, but kids are so damned squirmy. Solution: have the mother hold the kid… but hide her! Yeah, that’s the ticket! The creepy ticket!
Hidden Mother: Tintypes and Cabinets
Thanks to Katchaya for the link.
Far more effective: taking photos of the dead. Getting your pic taken was expensive and a big deal back when, so the death of a loved one was a great and final reason to splurge and call your local photographer.
Can we make the current trend of duck-faced Jerseyslut photos meaningful by offing them immediatly after they snap the shutter?