Cimon and Pero 

Victor Müller made this drawing, Cimon and Pero, sometime in the 19th century. It shows a woman breastfeeding an older man in a prison cell. The image refers to a story from ancient Rome, of a woman, Pero, who secretly breastfeeds her imprisoned father, Cimon, who has been sentenced to death by starvation. This image creates meaning through its allusion to a classical narrative of filial piety. It speaks to 19th-century German culture by associating it with the values of the ancient world. But this association is not neutral. The story of Cimon and Pero was often taken to suggest the moral superiority of women. Its appearance in 19th century German art reflected debates about gender roles during a time of rapid social and political change. To fully understand the image, the historian might research the reception of classical stories like Cimon and Pero, and examine contemporary writings about gender and politics. This reminds us that the meaning of art is always tied to its social and institutional context.