The history of breastfeeding is deeply intertwined with the history of womankind. Breastfeeding was essential for the continuation of the human race, and it was considered a woman’s highest priority. In ancient times, breastfeeding was considered a sacred role.
Through the Middle Ages, breast milk was believed to have magical powers. It wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution that artificial nutrition (formula) became the primary way to feed babies. Throughout all of human history, breastfeeding and its trends have been showcased in art because of its importance of every day life.
Breastfeeding as a theme in art begins in prehistoric times when women would pray to idols of procreation and lactation. These idols had large breasts, prominent buttocks, and adiposity (fat). Mesopotamians glorified breast milk through their Gods and myths. Astarte was the Mother of fertile breasts and the Mother of the Gods. In Ancient Egypt, breastfeeding was considered a sacred role. Before the famed Madonna and Child, there was a prehistoric equivalent: Isis and Horus. Isis nursing Horus was everywhere in Egypt: on statues, drawings, and steels.
Grecian culture had nursing deities that showcased mothers and children at ease during nursing. The Greek story of the creation said the goddess Hera pushed Hercules from her breast, and the spiraling milk became The Milky Way. According to Roman myth, a wolf nursed Romulus and Remus (the founders of Rome) for them to survive. Ancient Chinese manuscripts describe human milk as “a product of vital energy.”
During the Middle Ages (the time between the fall of Rome in 476 CE and the beginning of the Renaissance in the 14th Century), working class women breastfed their children while juggling their domestic and agricultural work. Wealthy women would employ wet nurses. Because of Middle Ages were a time of instability, breast milk was believed to have magical properties. People believed that breast milk could “transmit both physical and psychological characteristics of the woman.” During the Renaissance in Europe, women breastfeeding in art became commonplace in churches. Art pieces such as “sucklerLady” and “sucklerEve” showed reverence of maternity.
Through the 16th to 18th centuries, wealthy woman employed wet nurses. The child’s mother selected the wet nurse. Wet nurses tended to be poor women who would receive many benefits from becoming a wet nurse. One of the biggest benefits was living in the wealthy home, which provided poorer women with necessary shelter and food.
When the Industrial Revolution hit in the 19th Century, women began working outside the home in large factories for 12-14 hours a day. This was the first time in human history where artificial nutrition (formula) became the first choice. In order to help working women, milk banks were created in 1910. By 1883, there were 27 brands of formula. This led to confusion for parents who “did not know the composition and relative benefits of these products.” (Papastavrou, 2015)
Due to these formula lacking essential vitamins at the time, children developed scurvy and rickets. Once germ theory was understood, pasteurization became commonplace, and clean water was widely available, formula feeding became more commonplace. Once artificial nutrition (formula) became commonplace, breastfeeding in art decreased.
Source: Papastavrou M, Genitsardi SM, Komodiki E, Paliatsou S, Midw R, et al. (2015) Breastfeeding in the Course of History. J Pediatr Neonatal Care.
