Three wet nurses and two infants

Outside stand three women, most likely wet nurses of different origins. The woman on the left, with an African appearance and short shaved curly hair, wears a long wrap skirt (redda) and a Portuguese blouse with V-neck and long sleeves (hatte). Her breasts are visible under the edge of the blouse. In her waist a long object protrudes above the skirt: possibly a knife handle. The woman in the middle wears only a wrap skirt (redda) and a headscarf hanging down her back. The child she carries on her left hip has thick wavy hair and is likely Eurasian. The origin of the woman is unclear, but possibly Tamil or Ceylonese of low caste, like the woman on the right. She also wears only a wrap skirt (redda), no upper clothing. She has thick wavy hair, likely pulled back into a bun (condé). Her hands, which hold the infant on her left hip, are hidden under the textile that also partly covers the child. It may be her pulled-out blouse (hatte). The child wears a string of beads around the ankle.