The family photograph from 1892 that everyone thought was innocent… until they noticed the babies’ hands in their mother’s arms
, this photograph is no different from the many portraits taken at the end of the 19th century. The clothing is typical of the period: a dark dress with a high collar, delicate lace, and small white slippers. The mother, Catalina Ruiz de Herrera, belonged to a wealthy family in Puebla. Married to Don Felipe Herrera, a prosperous merchant, she embodied the respectability of a local bourgeoisie attached to its traditions. The photograph was taken by Don Abundio Cortés, a photographer renowned for his meticulous portraits and his mastery of natural light.
Family
But on closer inspection, something is unsettling. The young woman’s gaze seems distant, suspended between tenderness and detachment. The twins, Ana Lucía and José Miguel, appear strangely still. This impression, noted by several researchers, can perhaps be explained by the long exposure times of the era, which required complete stillness. And yet, some see in it a premonitory symbolism, an echo of the tragic fate that awaited this family.
A vulnerable mother
A few months before the photograph was taken, Catalina had given birth to her twins after a difficult delivery. Records indicate that she was very weak, both physically and emotionally. The term “maternal melancholy,” used in 19th-century medical journals, already referred to what we now call postpartum depression. At a time when mental health remained taboo, these disorders were poorly understood, and women who suffered from them were often isolated.
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