Hush Little Baby
In the nineteenth century France became fixated on infant sleep. Pictures of sleeping babies proliferated in paintings, posters, and advertisements for cradles and toys. Childcare manuals and medical writings insisted on the importance of sleep as a measure of a child’s future health and vigour. Infant sleep was transformed from an unremarkable event to a precarious stage of life that demanded mon...
In the nineteenth century France became fixated on infant sleep. Pictures of sleeping babies proliferated in paintings, posters, and advertisements for cradles and toys. Childcare manuals and medical writings insisted on the importance of sleep as a measure of a child’s future health and vigour. Infant sleep was transformed from an unremarkable event to a precarious stage of life that demanded mon...
