The mother-daughter relationship’s ubiquity ought not to be mistaken for simplicity. Its nuanced nature has been used as a central theme in many forms of art across time, including photography. Each photograph in Mothers and Daughters: Similarity, Strength, and Strain is an example of the many different dynamics a mother-daughter relationship can take. It should be kept in mind that these photographs, however, are mere snapshots of far longer timeframes taken out of context; photography allows us, the viewers, to take a voyeuristic gaze through a vehicle that is an unreliable narrator, an idea which Susan Sontag explores in On Photography. There is a clear limit to what we can know from a photograph—we cannot claim a photograph captures the entirety of the relationships pictured here. This exhibition seeks to unpack what common themes in mother-daughter relationships might reveal about women’s experiences.
“To collect photographs is to collect the world.”
Susan Sontag, On Photography (1977)
This piece highlights three themes that guide this exhibition: similarity, strength, and strain. Each piece in this exhibition include a reflection question; consider the reflection question before navigating to the “Exhibition” page page to see the remainder of the exhibit..
William Lee-Hankey
English, 1869-1952
Corner of the Fish Market
1919
Etching on laid paper
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College; PR.X.302.2 This etching depicts a mother with her daughter and baby in a fish market. Dressed similarly, the mother-daughter pair stand close to one another. While the mother is occupied with the baby, the daughter works in her stead, as if walking down similar paths.
The daughter—a young girl—needs maternal care, and yet she is at work, crouching over a basket full goods to sell. In this moment, she is the breadwinner. In that role one could read both savvy and maturity, strengths beyond her age.
“Regardless, she is not happy about this, and there is strain — but the daughter shows no apparent intention to leave.”
The mother-daughter relationship in this moment reflects strain. The daughter appears displeased with her mother, she frowns while looking up at her. Perhaps she is jealous of her sibling and doesn’t want to work, or she deems her mother irresponsible for not being able to manage both childcare and her working responsibilities. Still, she remains close to her mother’s feet; resting her arm on her mother’s knee suggests she may want to get her attention. The irony of the juxtaposition shown in the piece is clear, and it captures the essence of the mother-daughter relationship: the daughter, by acting similarly to her mother, shows strength in rising to the occasion for her mother at the expense of her own comfort. Regardless, she is not happy about this, and there is strain—and yet, the daughter shows no apparent intention to leave.
This piece is by an English painter and printmaker known for slice-of-life depictions of rural life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries predominantly focused on women and children.
Reflection Question
How does gender influence the role this child is expected to take?
“We learn the roles of daughter and mother both sequentially and simultaneously. All women are daughters and all women are expected to be mothers.”
Judith Pildes, Mothers and Daughters: Understanding the Role (1978)
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