# Farewell to the Wet Nurse [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [AUBRY, Etienne]() - Date: 1751-1800 - Technique: Oil on canvas, 52 x 63 cm ## Commentary An elegantly dressed mother takes her child from the woman on the left, who has nursed him from early infancy. Placing babies in the care of hired wet nurses - preferably young women from rural areas, as the painting's rustic setting suggests - was a common practice among wealthy French families in the eighteenth century. The child's gesture and anguished expression reflect the affectionate relationship that could result from this arrangement. ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()