Baby Faces: Profound portraits of one-year-old babies that reveal their little personalities

At the age of one, an infant will seek more independence, discover the world from an upright position, find their sense of humour, and start to develop their own little personality – something that will endure a lifetime. It is these individual natures that photographer Edward Mapplethorpe expertly captures for his ongoing series entitled One.

The culmination of a twenty-year project by one of today’s top-commissioned and internationally-recognised photographers of baby portraits, One is now available in a new book, featuring a series of 60 photographs that catch the fleeting, yet a universal moment of life when a child reaches one year of age. There is something remarkable in the innocent faces of the children portrayed in this book that serves to underscore our common humanity.

The luxuriously printed duotone photographs in One are accompanied by essays from esteemed contemporary authors Adam Gopnik, Susan Orlean, Francine Prose, and Andrew Solomon. Patti Smith contributes the book’s foreword while Dr Samantha Boardman writes the introduction. Contributions from such diverse luminaries emphasise the widespread appeal such innocent, unguarded beauty has for so many people.

After completing his studies in fine art, Edward Mapplethorpe assisted his older brother Robert in his studio throughout the 1980s. In 1990, Mapplethorpe launched his solo career establishing a distinct and personal style. His luminous nudes, portraits, still lifes, and abstract works have been exhibited and collected throughout the United States and in major cities around the world. He lives and works in New York City with his wife and one-year-old son. For more information visit his website: www.edwardmapplethorpe.com.