Although Ann Taylor’s poem begins with the line, “Who fed me from her gentle breast …,” very few American illustrated editions show a mother actually breastfeeding her child, due to modesty concerns, making this image published in an edition issued by New York publisher Solomon King (1791-1832) a great find.
Several scholars have recently used the AAS collections to unearth visual examples of breastfeeding, so this edition will be put to immediate use.
~ Laura Wasowicz, Curator of Children’s Literature
