Berthe Morisot: Did She Paint Postpartum Depression Before Its Time?

A new article from Beaux Arts magazine explores whether Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot (1841–1895) depicted postpartum depression in her works, particularly in her 1872 painting "Le Berceau" (The Cradle), housed at the Musée d'Orsay. The painting shows Morisot's sister Edma, who had given up her artistic career upon marriage, watching over her daughter Blanche with a melancholic, unsmiling expression. The article suggests this reflects the mental burden of motherhood, a theme also present in Morisot's numerous portraits of her own daughter Julie, born in 1878. Notably, Morisot rarely painted herself holding Julie, instead depicting her husband Eugène Manet caring for her, and the figures in her paintings never touch. The article connects these observations to the medical history of postpartum depression, first described as "folie puerpérale" by French psychiatrist Louis-Victor Marcé in 1858, and later identified as postpartum depression by British psychiatrist Brice Pitt in 1968, a condition affecting over 10% of mothers. Morisot's approach, avoiding sentimental effusions, is described as "follement moderne" (wildly modern). The article is part of Beaux Arts' series "20 questions et réponses que vous vous posez sur l'art," written by journalist Malika Bauwens.