Jennifer James » breastfeeding in public

Breastfeeding History in Stereo

Jennifer James — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 11:42:28 +0000

I am so excited this morning because I learned something brand new about American history!

As I have been searching through countless photographs on the Library of Congress Web site I keep coming across unfamiliar late nineteenth, early twentieth century photo cards with two of the exact image right beside each other. I knew absolutely nothing about them until today.

They’re called stereographs and they were the precursor to the modern day View Master. Here’s one called “Baby’s Happy Hour” (1) from 1898.

It was photographed and sold by Griffith & Griffith, an early photography company out of Philadelphia. Families would pop their cards into the stereoscope and get a 3-D version of the image. It was great entertainment then, but Constance B. Schultz, a history professor at the University of South Carolina, teaches that these stereographs painted a very narrow view of women. (Quelle surprise!)

“Stereographs were used as a widespread vehicle to transport cultural and domestic ideas. They reflected and reinforced both positive and negative stereotypes about the roles and purposes of women.”

Schultz adds the stereographs were intended to either depict women as matronly (above) or comical in nature like this one called “A Chip Off the Old Block” (2) which shows a man and baby drinking from the bottle. It was sold by the Standard Scenic Company in 1906.

1. Copyright: Griffith & Griffith
2. Copyright: Standard Scenic Co.

Nursing Mother Supplement, 1918 and 1919

admin — Wed, 20 May 2009 22:52:56 +0000

I thought these two ads were very interesting. Instead of being ads for formula, they are ads for a nursing mother supplement. Both of these ads ran in the New York Times. The first ad advertises a supplement for nursing moms, but the supplement can also be given to babies who were fed cow’s milk. It ran on October 16, 1918. The second ad ran on January 3, 1919.

Interesting stuff!

It’s fascinating how times have changed greatly, but then again, they really haven’t changed that much at all. Imperial Granum, an unsweetened food, was intended to be taken as a supplement for babies who were fed formula and it was also intended for nursing mothers to increase their milk supply and nutritional quality. I’m pretty sure it was probably snake oil, but it is fascinating to see how early companies were trying to persuade nursing mothers that their milk was not good enough for their babies. I wonder what it was made from. I think a Google search is calling. I’ll be back once I’ve found out what was in Imperial Granum.

Update About Imperial Granum (Found via the National Library of Medicine)

How is imperial granum prepared?

Two teaspoonfuls of the flour and six ounces of water. Cook ten minutes, and then add an equal quantity of milk and cook for five minutes longer.

Yuck!

Sitting for a Formal Photograph and Breastfeeding

admin — Sun, 17 May 2009 08:31:30 +0000

In the Library of Congress archives, there are many photographs of Indian women with their babies in papooses. In all of the seated, formal pictures of women and their children I have seen, I have never seen a photo where the mother is freely breastfeeding her child. This photograph is quite interesting because although the woman was white, her husband was an Indian and she lived in an Indian village after being captured in her youth.

Her name was Cynthia Ann Parker (ca. 1825-ca. 1871) and in this photo she was nursing her daughter, Prairie Flower (Toposannah). Parker was captured by Native American Comanches as a teenager, later married Chief Peta Nocona and bore children including Quanah Parker, the last Comanche Chief.1860-1870.

Parker’s life is very interesting. If you’d like to learn more about her, click here.

Barnum’s and Breastfeeding

admin — Sat, 16 May 2009 15:59:26 +0000

I hope you’re having a great weekend! I thought this was interesting when I ran across it last night. It is a sheet music cover from 1855 called Barnum’s Baby Show Polka. Even though it is 1855 and most mothers breastfed, I thought it was interesting that this sheet music cover showed some of the mothers nursing. You can click the cover to see it up close.

Historic American Sheet Music, “Barnum’s Baby Show Polka”, Music #733, Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library

Breastfeeding Under the Trees, June 1939

admin — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:16:24 +0000

I am always amazed by the pictures I find of mothers in the 1930s and 40s who breastfed; I’m obsessed with them, really. Although formula was readily available then, poor farming mothers most always breastfed their babies as opposed to feeding them in a way that was expensive and I hazard to say…unnatural.

Here’s a mother breastfeeding her daughter under the trees in Wagoner County, Oklahoma. The picture was taken in June 1939. This is a wife and child of an itinerant cane furniture maker and agricultural day laborer.

One satisfied baby.

I Wonder If Mrs. Ocey Snead Breastfed

admin — Mon, 11 May 2009 10:53:39 +0000

When I find historic photos of mothers I often want to find out more about the women who are in them. I guess it’s the history buff in me that absolutely cannot shut off. When I found this photo two things immediately struck me: 1) I wonder if she breastfed her baby and 2) I wonder why she looks so sad. Although I couldn’t figure out if she breastfed or not (surprisingly sometimes I do find clues that can answer that question) I did find out why she was so sad.

The woman in the photo is named Mrs. Ocey Snead and was photographed by a famous photographer, George Grantham Bain and is housed in the George Grantham Bain Collection at the Library of Congress. The title of the photo is: Mrs. Ocey Snead, in bed, baby in arms.

A quick Google search about Mrs. Ocey Snead revealed some very disturbing information about this woman. She was killed by her two sisters for a $32,000 life insurance policy in 1909. Now I know why she looked so sullen and sad even though she just had a baby. She had been treated very poorly up until this point and her baby was taken from her and given to an orphanage. The baby’s whereabouts were not known.

Read more about Mrs. Ocey Snead on Wikipedia. The New York Times ran an entire article about her in 1968 and several articles about her death ran in the New York Times between 1909 – 1910.

Interesting Nonetheless

admin — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 06:34:31 +0000

These photos have absolutely nothing to do with breastfeeding, but I could not sleep without sharing them with you. What’s funny is I had no idea that breast augmentation and face injections weren’t new. See for yourself.

1. Young woman getting “laugh” wrinkles around mouth smoothed out. Bel Air, CA, US 1961 © Time Inc.

2. Woman getting injection which builds up fatty tissue under skin to get rid of wrinkles. Bel Air, CA, US 1961 © Time Inc.

3. Young woman showing results after plastic surgery to enhance size of her breasts. Bel Air, CA, US 1961 © Time Inc.

Back from Hiatus + More Historic Breastfeeding Photos

admin — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 04:12:09 +0000

So! As usual I have succumbed to yet another hiatus. I am trying to blog more regularly about historic breastfeeding, but life keeps getting in the way and before I know it a day has turned into a week and then a week has turned into a month. Yada. Yada. You’ve heard it before…

To help me gain more energy and focus, I’ve enlisted the help of my good friend, Penny of BottlingHealth.com, to assist me with my food choices and meditation. There

is so much that I want to accomplish in my life, but at the moment, everything is really stagnant and I find myself with so little time to do the things I love, like write and research for this blog, for instance! With Penny’s help I plan to get back on track and blog here more often. And if all else fails you can always nudge me on Twitter or email me at jjames[at]themomsalon.com and tell me to post again!!

With all that said, Krista, a reader, sent me links to historic breastfeeding photographs that she found and I’d like to share them with you.

Both of the pictures are from the Life photo collection on Google. The first shows the common-law wife of farmer Pedro Pablo Caceres breast-feeding infant in 1964. Paraquay. The second photograph was also taken in 1964 and shows an Israeli mother breast feeding her baby.

Thank you, Krista, for taking the time to send me these photographs and for reading this blog. Thank you also for your patience. I was delighted by your email and am thrilled that you enjoy spending time reading what I dig up about historic breastfeeding. — Jennifer

Breastfeeding During Social Hour

admin — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:25:53 +0000

Honestly, where does the time go? It’s already January 6 and it feels like Christmas was only yesterday!

I have another photograph for you today; one that shows — yet again — that breastfeeding, especially for those who lived a rural lifestyle and had yet to be convinced of formula, was a part of everyday life.

Although this photo isn’t dated, I wager a bet it was taken during the mid to late 1930s. It may potentially be the early 1940s. What is particularly telling about this photograph are the notes on the back of the photo (below) and the fact that once again breastfeeding in public was no big deal before the formula industry changed the perception of infant feeding (almost irreparably) in this country. The men could care less that a woman’s exposed breast is in full view of everyone, although the little boy on the right does seem a little enthralled by the baby breastfeeding.

Written Notes on Item
a) Part of Social Hour audience at Shafter Camp (handwritten on reverse); b) Todd’s favorite picture of an “Okie Family” in Shafter F.S.A. Camp. Nursing babies was the usual thing at camp “Socials.” (typed and attached to reverse)

Have Attitudes About Breastfeeding Changed?

admin — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:23:35 +0000

First of all, I’d like to thank all of you who left a comment on my last post. You wouldn’t believe how very encouraging they are. I can keep digging for photos when I know you’re reading. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Most of you have probably heard about the big Facebook virtual nurse-in that happened over the weekend. Tens of thousands of nursing moms are upset that Facebook bans nursing photos, but they have no qualms about showing pornographic ads to their users.

Well, this disdain for nursing — public or otherwise — is certainly not new. Check out this image from July 12, 1950. If you have been following my work for awhile now you have seen this photo before. I thought the imagery is especially potent now given that moms are still expected to hide behind partitions, so to speak, when they breastfeed.

The caption on the photo says: Hilda Kassell, E. 53rd St., New York City. Mother nursing baby.

Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division: Gottscho-Schleisner Collection (Library of Congress), [reproduction number, LC-G613-T-57610 ] Photographer: Gottscho-Schleisner, Inc., photographer.