Story: Parenting

Widower and his daughters, early 1900s

Widower and his daughters, early 1900s

In the 19th and early 20th centuries sole parenthood was usually the result of the death of one parent. This photograph shows a father with his four daughters in the early 1900s. The black band on his left arm indicates that he is in mourning. The girls are also wearing black or dark clothing, and the absence of the wife and mother suggests they are mourning for her.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Northwood Collection (PA-Group-00027)
Reference: 1/1-005722-G
Photograph by Richard Alfred Northwood

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Lesley Patterson, 'Parenting - Different kinds of parents', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/26327/widower-and-his-daughters-early-1900s (accessed 2 May 2024)

Story by Lesley Patterson, published 5 May 2011, reviewed & revised 26 Jun 2018