Victorian and Early 20th Century Baby Farming is an often horrific and unflinching monograph on the history and background (and methods) of the practice by lecturer and history maven Eve Bacon. Due out 30th Nov 2024 from Pen & Sword on their History imprint, it's 264 pages and will be available in hardcover format.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in supposedly "civilised" countries, the care and raising of infants and children was commonly handed over to other caregivers than the mother. In the case of affluent families, they were nurtured in the family home by nurses, nannies, and tutors and trotted out to be fawned over a couple times per day by the adoring (if distant) parents. In the cases of the less wealthy, they were "provided" for by the council or parish in the form of an allowance and handed over to caregivers/baby farmers to be maintained and raised to be productive citizens. A sad majority of these infants didn't survive their care, an outsized number even given the high infant mortality statistics across the board.
The author explores many specific cases and details an appalling series of law changes and social conditions which gave rise to baby farming and allowed it to flourish. The book is well annotated throughout and the text is enhanced by facsimiles and archival photographs from the time period. The chapter notes are extensive and probably worth the price of the book for reference purposes alone.
Four stars. It's a sad but important read. It would be a good choice for public library acquisition, home use, or gift giving to a history/genealogy interested recipient.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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