Investigations
Undergrads on the Trail to Discovery
Students in Introduction to Material Culture: Pregnancy,
Childbirth, and Family in Early America, a fall
undergraduate seminar in the Krieger School of Arts and
Sciences, researched, planned, and curated Welcome
Little Stranger. The exhibition at Homewood
Museum examines the customs surrounding pregnancy and
childbirth at the turn of the 19th century. The students
reviewed hundreds of pieces of correspondence to and from
Charles Carroll Jr., who built Homewood, as well as
newspapers, journals, paintings, and other objects from the
Federal period. Each student researched topics such as
maternity wear, baby-naming practices, behavior of pregnant
women, and the family's sleeping arrangements during
pregnancy.
Chelsea Gonzales, Engineering '11, examined
contraception and unwanted pregnancy. People during this
time feared miscarriage, as well as complications during
pregnancy and labor. This was evident, Gonzales found, in
letters Charles Carroll of Carrollton wrote to his son. As
each of his daughter-in-law Harriet's seven pregnancies
neared conclusion, the senior Carroll would write, hoping
for a "safe and happy delivery." One letter said, "I hope
to God she will not lose the infant ... miscarriages impair
greatly the constitution."
Gillian Maguire, A&S '08, looked into midwives, the
appearance of male midwives, and the emergence of doctors
trained in a new field called the "obstetric arts." Maguire
discovered that during delivery, only male medical
professionals were licensed to use instruments such as
forceps, and they took a more aggressive role in the
birthing process than female midwives.
Welcome Little Stranger is on exhibit through March
30 at Homewood Museum.
—Maria Blackburn