Franz Hals (1580-1666) of Antwerp and Haarlem painted a Dutch wetnurse and child which now hangs in the Berlin Gemälde Galerie. The nurse has a white cap trimmed with lace and the ruffed collar of the period. She holds a piece of fruit in her hand, evidently to divert the child, who pays no attention to it but is apparently watching the artist.
The child's dress is a good example of the extreme styles used in babies' clothing, in this case a heavy brocade dress, a cap with fine lace trimmings, a superb heavily starched collar with a lace border and cuffs and stomacher of the same, the latter being held in place by a jeweled pin.
Clothing of this sort was used in baptismal gowns and for a short period of show might be permitted, but one cannot imagine clothing less suited to early life than these garments, which