Hidden in Plain View: A Forgotten 19th Century Photograph Uncovers Evidence of Child Labor and a Long Buried Family Story
For generations, the photograph sat quietly in archival storage, labeled and categorized like countless others from the same period. It was considered an ordinary example of a 19th century hacienda family portrait, the kind often used by historians and researchers studying land ownership, elite social structures, and life during that era in Mexico. Scholars referenced…