Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Handcart Company

Here's another one, also by C.C.A.Christensen, in 1900.  Thanks to Sally Bishop for this!

There is a woman breastfeeding on the left, in front of the wagon wheel.

LDS Breastfeeding Art

OK, I had no intention of actually starting a blog, and this may be the only post I ever do, but in response to some recent comments about how being LDS means you should be too modest to breastfeed anywhere in public, I had to share.

The first time I went to the Cardston, Alberta temple after having my first baby, I noticed this painting in the Chapel.
It was done by A.B.Wright, a professor of art at the University of Utah, in the 1920's.  It is small here, so somewhat hard to see, but there are 3 breastfeeding mothers.  One is the woman in blue, sitting on the right.  the other 2 are in the background.  One of them has her full breast exposed.  This image is fromhttp://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=32332e4d12fdb010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=f318118dd536c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD



These are photos of one of the panels on the Seagull Monument on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Seagull Monument was designed and created by Mahonri M. Young, a grandson of Brigham Young, in the 1910's.


And finally, one we found just last weekend.  It is a painting on display in the Grandin Building in Palmyra, New York.  It is the site of the printing of the first Book of Mormon.
This one is called "Father Lehi Blesses His Posterity" and is by C.C.A. Christensen and was done in 1890.


I think the interesting thing in all of this, is that these were done 120-90 years ago, during what we consider to me more modest times.  And yet, it was perfectly OK to breastfeed your child.  That was not immodest.  Noone expected a woman to miss out on Jesus speaking so that she could go to another room and feed her baby.

There are also LOTS - dare I say hundreds? - of pieces of art work depicting Mary nursing her son Jesus.

OK, nuff said

Does anyone else have pictures?