Hush-A-Bye-Baby

Intimidation - Should We Frighten the Child?

The focus of this black and white ink sketch (c1833 ) for Hush-a-bye Baby is on the baby (slightly off-center) and the breaking bough. As the branch snaps, the viewer is presented with a frontal image of the baby, head pointing down and arms dropping to the outsides of the basket. The baby is still mostly within the basket, but the obvious line heading downward gives the impression of movement in that direction and the baby's seemingly inevitable fate.

According to Katherine Elwes Thomas and her view of the history behind this rhyme, the baby is that of King James II of England in 1771. In this interpretation, James introduced the new baby to England as heir to the throne. The baby's name was James Stuart or, to English citizens, "The Pretender." The reason for this reference comes from the reality that James Stuart was not the biological heir of King James and, therefore, not the rightful heir to the throne. The strategy of King James was to restore Roman Catholicism in England, and this male child was his best hope. The idea backfired for King James because the general populace would not accept such trickery. As a result, the seven bishops refused to acknowledge James Stuart as the rightful heir; and King James eventually was forced to leave for the safety of France (the English populace rose en masse for his ouster).

In this illustration, the face of the baby is certainly more adult-like than child-like, perhaps mimicking the historical reference of James Stuart and the crown. In this way, the baby is more in the style of renaissance art than a children's illustration. The spilling of the baby from its crib is dramatic but also maintains a distance between the reader and illustration-again, this could be interpreted as the history between the English citizens and the heir. The care for this child was simply not in their hearts, and so this child is depicted as expressionless, as if not real infant. However, even the revolting English against King James could see it was not the baby's fault that King James's lust for power caused such disdain for the crown, hence the large bushel of soft-covered branches the baby will presumable land upon as the he falls.

Far from soothing in content, this rhyme is believed by some to have been sung in order to intimidate the child and/or used as an outlet for the emotions of the parent or nurse. This, too, can be seen in the illustration, as the baby is upside-down in the falling cradle, creating a strong feeling of discomfort. The break in the bough is also an obvious site as it is positioned right above the cradle as it falls. The crack is large and toothy in appearance, as if a vicious mouth is the cause and the pursuer of the falling child. This illustration is basically realistic, creating an unpleasant emotional reaction, perhaps supporting the intimidation theory.