I'm reading “Mary Boleyn” by Alison weir at the moment and as I was flicking through the pages I came across a portrait of a pregnant Tudor lady (Thought to be Katherine Carey) that is beside the point…….
I was pretty suprised at this portrait as I've always believed that pregnant ladies in history always hid their condition and never would they have been painted whilst heavily pregnant! I've always thought pregnant ladies hid their condition and all the way down history it wasn't a thing to be flaunted. Our present Queen never opened Parliament when she was pregnant as it wasn't the done thing and I know myself of an old aunt not going to a family wedding in the 1940's because she was heavily pregnant and it wasn't “decent” to be seen in public like that. I've always thought that ladies of good breeding in Tudor times were put away whilst pregnant….oh how times have changed!