Clothes
for pregnancy
At right, the 1440 painting
from the right panel of a diptych by Rogier van der Weyden
shows a heavily pregnant woman in a voluminous surcote covering
her stomach.
Even though the depiction of a sword held by the subject marks this
painting as clearly not a portrait, the reasonably accurate
features of the woman and the attention to realistic details in
the background, lead us to believe that the clothing is not fantasy
and is of the type that may have been worn by a pregnant woman.
She appears to be wearing at
least 2 more gowns underneath- a gold kirtle with fitted
sleeves and another loose, brocade gown with hanging sleeves
which were popular in the 15th century.
It is quite likely that her
kirtle is laced open to accomodate her expanding figure.
Importantly, we cannot see this, as the kirtle is covered
by further layers.
Her two top layers are very
typical of 15th century outer clothing and no special modifications
would have been needed to make them comfortable for a pregnant woman
to wear.
Post-birth, the same
garment could be worn belted high under the bust.
One
of the most commonly depicted pregnancy scenes in medieval art is
that of the Bible story of Elizabeth visiting Mary whilst they are
both still expecting.
Even in late iconography, both
women usually wear a surcote which is large and gathers onto a neckband.
This style can be seen in the early medieval period as an everyday
dress before the fitted kirtle was introduced.
In
the 1445 painting The Visitation by van der Weyden, shown
at left, we also note a red overgown with side lacing
which is expanded to accommodate Elizabeth's growing figure.
The close-up detail at right shows that the spiral side lacing.
This would still permit a fairly
form-fitting overgown to be tightened after birth when a woman regained
her usual body shape.
At a time where clothing was less disposable and more highly
valued, a multi-purpose gown like this would be a practical
solution to the frequent pregnancies faced by medieval women.
Clothes
for breastfeeding
Contemporary
images of medieval women breastfeeding are next to impossible to
find, unless you delve into the world of the Madonna Lactans,
that is, the breastfeeding Mary, where you will find the
most improbable arrangements of breastfeeding poses and breast
anatomy.
It is clear that while some
images are slightly more realistic than others, they cannot be
relied on to provide accurate information about what breastfeeding
mothers wore during the Middle Ages. Sadly.
Some show the overdress pulled
awkwardly to the side or downwards, but other mothers appear
to favour front-lacing gowns for what must have been practical
reasons. In theory, they were easy to unlace and access the breast.
Any modern re-enactor lady
with a front-lacing kirtle will tell you that unlacing and
relacing over and over if feeding on demand is time-consuming and
not ideal with a hungry babe is crying.
What other options were
there? I've found two rather nice ones.
An painting from the British Library, shown at right above,
from the South Netherlands, Bruges or France (probably Valenciennes)
dated between 1485 -1490, shows a gown with two buttons at
the top of the neck line which would allow access to the breast
for easy breastfeeding when undone.
This
is quite similar to other images of the Virgin with two fichets,
that is, vertical slits, high in her gown over the breasts
which allow the breast to be utilised at a more natural position.
The question of what to do
with the chemise or smock underneath may be answered with
this image.
They are clearly seen at left
in the sculpture of Charity, dated between 1300 to 1325 by Tino
de Camaino of Florence.
We cannot tell if the item
of clothing is outer or underwear in this case, and
the button on the centre seam doesn't make a case for either one.
A colour version of this style
of gown can be seen from the Psalter of Queen Isabella of
England, below. Dated between 1303-1308 England, BSB Cod. gall.
16, it shows a none too impressed looking Eve with her breasts out
through the gown she is wearing, whilst Adam swaddles baby
Cain.
Although the characters are
not from the 14th century, the artwork and clothing styles are consistant
with the period.
There are not a huge number
of non-Madonna breastfeeding images in domestic settings, so we
have only a few images to rely on.
I
have yet to find good written records of the clothing associated
with breastfeeding at this time, although there is other advice
for the lactating mother and her newborn.
You can find more information
about breastfeeding on the BIRTHS
AND BABIES page.
