image id: ps_prn_cd33_479
James Gillray (1756–1815)
The Fashionable Mamma,—or—The Convenience of Modern Dress
Etching with engraving and roulette, hand-colored
London: Published by Hannah Humphrey, February 15, 1796
NYPL, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs, Print
Collection
"Fashionable" nursing is satirized here along with the revealing dress of
the 1790s (exaggerated for effect). James Gillray portrays an aristocratic
woman feeding her goggle-eyed spawn while the coach waits to carry her to more
diverting occupations. The peasant in the painting on the wall shows the sentimental
side of maternity, and comments ironically on the fashionable mamma's lack
of affection.
