VISUAL ACTIVITY Black Woman Holding White Child, ca. 1855 Most of the white children who grew up in the Big House had slave nurses, or nannies. The fact that this nannie is included in the portrait of the child indicates her importance in the white household. Library of Congress. READING THE IMAGE: If she was important, however, why is her face hidden behind the child? CONNECTIONS: As a female house servant, what other obligations might this nannie have had in the Big House?