#pregnancyclothing
#MaternityMondays
#maternalbodies #pregnancyclothing past + present

When Lucille Ball became pregnant in 1952 she persuaded producers to incorporate her pregnancy into storylines of I Love Lucy. She was one of the 1st pregnant women on US TV. (But the words pregnant /pregnancy were never used.)
January 13, 2025 at 7:29 PM
#MaternityMondays
#maternalbodies #pregnancyclothing past + present

Anne, Lady Pope with her children
by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger. This 1596 portrait shows how elite Elizabethan women dressed when pregnant. Pearls were a symbol of fertility and appear all over Lady Pope’s gown.
March 16, 2025 at 10:24 PM
#MaternityMondays A weekly look at #maternalbodies + #pregnancyclothing past + present.

Today we have a 1982 maternity dress design by David Sassoon for Diana Princess of Wales. Notice how the sketch does not represent the shape of a maternal body even though the client was known to be pregnant.
December 9, 2024 at 7:50 PM
#MaternityMondays
#maternalbodies #pregnancyclothing past + present

Queen Charlotte 1767 by Francis Cotes - In this portrait Queen Charlotte holds her 4th child princess Charlotte while she was pregnant with her 5th child Prince Edward. She wears a white silk sacque gown with lots of gold brocade
May 19, 2025 at 10:14 AM
#MaternityMondays
#maternalbodies #pregnancyclothing past + present

Henrietta Maria
after Sir Anthony Van Dyck 1636 pregnant with her 6th child. Her pose emphasises the shape of her maternal body.
March 24, 2025 at 12:00 AM
#MaternityMondays
#maternalbodies #pregnancyclothing past + present

Venus by Claire Partington, 2015, ceramic figurine. Here Venus encompasses symbols of The Madonna and Hindu mother Goddess Parvati and #21stC ‘every woman’. There are symbols of birth and death and the passage of time. #pregnancy
February 3, 2025 at 12:42 PM
#MaternityMondays
#maternalbodies #pregnancyclothing past + present

A scene in the New farce called the rivals or a Visit to the Heir Presumptive - In March 1819 baby Prince George was born heir to the British throne this lasted 2 months until his cousin Queen Victoria was born 8 weeks later.
March 3, 2025 at 1:21 PM
#MaternityMondays
#maternalbodies #pregnancyclothing past + present

This c.1900 maternity corset from the collection at the V&A Museum London has side laces to adapt to changes in body shape / size and poppers over each breast to facilitate breastfeeding.
February 17, 2025 at 10:44 AM
#MaternityMondays
#maternalbodies #pregnancyclothing past + present

The Fashion Museum dress of the year 2021 was by Giorgio Armani + worn by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex for the CBS tv show Oprah with Meghan and Harry. Meghan was 6 months pregnant, the lotus motif was chosen to represent rebirth.
June 2, 2025 at 1:31 PM
#MaternityMondays
#maternalbodies #pregnancyclothing past + present

Today we have this 1934 advert from Lane Bryant in New York. Their maternity clothing was designed to ‘conceal the condition’ +their collection includes maternity corsets. The woman pictured does not have a visibly pregnant body.
December 23, 2024 at 12:25 PM
Welcome to #maternitymondays

A weekly look at #maternalbodies and #pregnancyclothing past + present. What’s changed? What’s stayed the same?

Mollie King - 8 months pregnant. King’s high neck / long dress makes her maternal body harder to distinguish, but her posture brings her bump into focus.
December 16, 2024 at 2:23 PM
#MaternityMondays
#maternalbodies #pregnancyclothing past + present

A rare photo of Princess Margaret in 1961 when pregnant with her 1st child. Her flowing dress covers the detailed shape of her maternal body and pleating of the fabric could move and adapt to her changing shape.
January 27, 2025 at 12:24 PM
#MaternityMondays
#maternalbodies #pregnancyclothing past + present

1921 catalogue of maternity uniforms for nurses. Two dresses on the right have an elasticated waistband, but there is no adjustment to the length of the front hem. None of the models are visibly pregnant.
April 14, 2025 at 9:23 AM
#MaternityMondays
#maternalbodies #pregnancyclothing past + present

‘Naked Portrait 2002’ depicts a pregnant Kate Moss and is the work of Lucian Freud. A film about Moss & Freud and the making of their portrait is currently in post-production.
December 30, 2024 at 7:20 PM
#MaternityMondays
#maternalbodies #pregnancyclothing past + present

2022 ad for Seraphine maternity-wear. Shockingly it is standard today for non-pregnant models to pad their bodies for maternity clothing ads. This is therefore not actually a maternal body at all but it
“kinda” looks like one
January 20, 2025 at 2:32 PM
#MaternityMondays
#maternalbodies #pregnancyclothing past + present

1943 US ad for maternity shirts. Focus on utility, comfort and discreet pregnancy concealment. A subtle hint that the left shirt was designed to fit changes in bust size. #WW2 in UK pregnancy meant extra clothing rations.
February 11, 2025 at 12:48 AM
#MaternityMondays
#maternalbodies #pregnancyclothing past + present

In 2018 the British Army introduced the first ‘Multi-Terrain Camouflage’ uniform for pregnant soldiers + officers. Prior to this standard issue was a smock, but many had a mens size MTC uniform adjusted to fit instead 🪡🧵
December 16, 2024 at 2:13 PM
#MaternityMondays
#maternalbodies #pregnancyclothing past + present

In 2021 Ellie Goulding gave an interview to Vogue and the Telegraph in which she explain how she valued the opportunity that lock down provided to keep her pregnancy private.
March 10, 2025 at 7:32 PM
#MaternityMondays
#maternalbodies #pregnancyclothing past + present

Saskia van Uylenburgh in Arcadian
Costume, 1635 by Rembrandt depicts the artists wife while pregnant. In 2020 the National Gallery London makes no mention of her pregnancy in their interpretation label. #nationalgallerylondon
February 24, 2025 at 1:23 PM
#MaternityMondays
#maternalbodies #pregnancyclothing past + present

A 1962 ad for Mothercare. The ‘hand on belly’ maternal arm positioning is both protective and communicates a pregnancy to others. Meanwhile peaceful animals symbolise maternal values, nurturing+natural mothering instincts.
January 6, 2025 at 12:34 PM