Jean André Rixens, French
Though It Was Supposedly a Breastseller, Melony Now Understood Why the Book Had Been on the Discount Rack at Barnes & Nipple, 1889
Oil on canvas
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Info, or links that point to more info, about this artist can be found here, here, here, and here, perhaps in addition to what’s in his Wikipedia page (Google translated French Wikipedia page has more).
/// L’Endormie, or the (French) sleepyhead
nodded off over something she read.
What’s this sweet redhead reading?
It’s a tome on breastfeeding.
Baby woke her five times to be fed.
/// Hungry infant means Belle gets no rest.
Once each hour she must offer her breast.
Belle does wear her blouse loose,
but it’s not to seduce.
To save time, easy access is best.
/// Her exhaustion’s too real to be feigned,
but this “Sleepy Head” can be explained.
Waking up at all hours
when her milk he devours.
All that breastfeeding just leaves her drained.
/// The new baby is still just a wee thing.
Belle gets joy just from watching him breathing.
While lactating her milk
leaks (she cannot wear silk).
And she’s grateful her child isn’t teething.
/// The child’s father can be of no aid.
His work stopped once the baby was made.
He believed that Belle’s bust
was for feeding his lust,
and should only for him be displayed.
/// What she reads is a source of intrigue.
The “last straw” that brought sleep from fatigue.
It tells, starting from scratch,
how to get babes to “latch,”
as explained by the La Leche League.
/// Public breastfeeding, back in the day,
being natural, it was OK.
If today she should try it,
men would start a small riot:
“Move that kid ‘cause his head’s in the way!”