Hand-Colored Ambrotype of an Unidentified Child Holding an Apple, ca. 1860

Exposure time was a formidable challenge for the 19th century photographer who surely shuddered when a young sitter entered the room. Noted historian Robert Taft wrote, “Ah, the children. Here there could be no twenty second exposure… full light, the largest stop in the camera and the combined efforts of the photographer, the candy, and the entire family.”