“Where do babies come from?”
“Don’t you know, the midwife brings them in her big black bag!”
American Pioneer birth scene. Gustave Joseph Witkowski, 1887
The newest installation at the Lynchburg Museum is a year-long exhibit that takes its title from the Anglo-Saxon Middle English terms “mid” (with) and “wyf” (woman), but the custom of women assisting women in labor is an ancient profession spanning all cultures and regions. “Women with Women” chronicles the history of the profession, its tools, and its ongoing struggle for respect and recognition by the medical society.
Naming the women, many of whom are who are forgotten or who often fade into the background is a central aspect to this exhibit. “Women with Women” names nearly 200 midwives from the 1840s to present day who practiced or currently practice in Lynchburg and Central Virginia.
The exhibit features local women like Harriet Burton, a 19th century African American who could neither read nor write, yet was responsible for attending 4 times more births than any other midwife on record. Visitors can meet 20th century midwives like Russian Jew Sarah Goldstein, baby nurse Julia Branch, Monacan “Granny Kate” Johns, and Mary Gildon, who sparked a racial debate with State Registrar Walter A. Plecker.
Many accounts across cultures also indicate that giving birth was a communal rather than a solitary process. Art and stories from various times and regions depict women giving birth surrounded by other women, including a midwife, female family members or friends.
While valued by women, midwives working after 1900 encountered an attitude of rivalry or suspicion of their work, particularly among male physicians and legislators. The exhibit tells the story of midwives’ fight for professional recognition in Virginia, a battle that continues today.
Women with Women not only includes stories, artifacts, and photos of women who have worked in Central Virginia, but interactive opportunities to enhance visitors’ experience.