The Hardest Hue to Hold is a project by Hanna Wolf, a Canadian photographer who has dedicated her career to capturing images that speak of memory, family archives, and the relationship between identity, belonging, and caregiving. The project we want to talk about today highlights the most challenging aspect of childbirth, an experience the photographer personally went through in the hours following the birth of her daughter, Elowen. It consists of a series of portraits of mothers with their children, and Wolf’s intention is to bring to light the stories of those who were unable to hold their babies during the so-called Golden Hour, the hour after birth.

The history of this term is closely tied to recovery from the childbirth experience, specifically dictated—according to neonatology—by the sixty minutes following the baby’s birth. It is a crucial moment for the mother’s recovery, during which important outcomes for the newborn are also determined.

The significance of this project underscores the importance of themes related to mental health and post-traumatic syndrome associated with childbirth, which is often given little space in Western narratives about birth and is frequently overlooked. Hanna Wolf’s work does not end here, as she will continue over time to tell the stories of all the mothers who – for various reasons – could not enjoy those much-desired sixty minutes after childbirth.