We are used to seeing Victorian photographs as formally staged portraits, so the four portraits of 19th-century women breastfeeding are a rare treat. They each seem like a formal sitting, but when baby's hungry, you do what you gotta do. However, the article at Messy Messy Chic is a lot more, detailing the gradual decline in breastfeeding during that time. Queen Victoria (who had nine children) didn't care for breastfeeding at all. Doctors and inventors developed skeevy-looking bottles as a substitute. And wealthier women had wet nurses to take over the task. For those who were breastfeeding, beer was recommended, and even advertised for recovery from childbirth, as you can see in the image above. Read more about Victorian breastfeeding at Messy Nessy Chic.
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the "best" tonic
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