Looking through our collections, we find the universal language of motherly gestures. Mothers nursing, bathing, and embracing their babies. Mothers present during the most important of life events, from the first day of school to the wedding day. There are also views of mothers, often stereotypical or oversimplified, and often presented by advertisers—the mother who dreams of dinners out and a break from housework, the mother who hopes to stay as young-looking as her toddler (?!?). And there are those views that illustrate the nuanced and sometimes ambiguous sides of motherhood—women working, women protesting, women speaking up, and creating—all while balancing children and home life.
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