Designing Motherhood

A unique look at the concept of motherhood told through more than 100 designs--iconic, archaic, titillating, emotionally charged, or just plain odd--that have defined the relationships between people and babies.

While birth often brings great joy, making babies is a knotty enterprise. The designed things that surround us when it comes to birth control, conception, pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood vary as oddly, messily, and dramatically as the stereotypes these times of life conjure. This smart, image-rich, fashion-forward, and design-driven book explores more than 100 designs--iconic, archaic, titillating, emotionally charged, or just plain strange--that have defined the relationships between people and babies during the past century.