Updated: Scribonia Attice, Ancient Roman Midwife
Scribonia Attice was a midwife in ancient Rome; a well-respected professional who considered herself the equal of her husband, a surgeon.
Updated: Hogarth’s Infant Carriers
Today we’re looking at baby carriers in William Hogarth’s The March of the Guards to Finchley from 1750. The March of the Guards to Finchley, depicts a fictional troop of buffoonish British troops in Tottenham Court Road, in London, on their way to fight the Jacobean forces in the uprising […]
Rani Lakshmibai
Rani Lakshmibai, also know as Rani of Jhansi, has inspired countless works of art featuring her charging into battle on horseback with a baby on her back. In this video, we learn more about her life and what led to the famous scene.
Dutch Baby c.1664| Jan Steen | Quick Art History
This painting by Jan Steen features common baby accessories from the 17th century: teethers, falling caps, and leading strings:
Natural Birth in the Tudor Era
What qualified as a natural birth in the 16th century? In this post, we look at what the Birth of Mankind, from 1540, had to say about a natural birth in the Tudor Era including birthing positions, recipes for potions, pessaries, vaginal incense, pain relieving lubricants, herbal baths with toxic heavy metals, as well as what kind of diet and exercise the Tudor woman should have in later pregnancy and during labor.
C-Section in Uganda, 1879 | Robert Felkin
The frequently misrepresented sketch of a Ugandan woman’s surgical delivery, in 1879, as witnessed and recorded by Robert W. Felkin and presented to the Edinburgh Obstetrical Society in 1884.
“A Young Woman nursing a baby” 1868 | Jacob Maris | Quick Art History Video
A young woman nursing a baby, was painted in 1868 by Dutch landscape painter, Jacob Maris. He was living in Paris when he painted this portrait of his wife Catharina Hendrika Horn breastfeeding their first baby, Guillaume [gee-um] who was born in April of 1868 and tragically died the following […]
The Byrth of Mankynde, 1540
Learn more about the first book in English on pregnancy, birth, and newborn care: The Byrth of Mankynde, 1540.
