I was raised almost exclusively by the women in my family. My family is kind of traditional in the way most families that start childbearing young are; it was easier for the men to find well-enough paying jobs without an advanced education, so they worked while the women stayed home with the kids (when I graduate in May, I'll be the first person in my immediate and not-too-distant family to have a bachelor's degree; my cousin beat me to an associate's degree, and since I received mine, both our mothers have gotten one each).
It was their choice though. The women in my family have almost without exception been very maternal, and extremely creatively driven. Staying home with the kids when we were young and then only working part time when we were school age allowed them to come together, create, and be happy. It was really quite lovely.
There have always been photographs, drawings, and stories about past generations at every family gathering. My grandmother has a curio cabinet that looks like it could have walked straight out the 1850's, save for more modern pictures of me, my sister, my kids, and my cousins. I believe this is where my draw to Victorian photography comes from.
With all that said, my inspiration this weekend has been some family photos I'm rediscovering.
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