Spanking is a form of corporal punishment involving the act of striking, with either the palm of the hand or an implement, the buttocks of a person to cause physical pain. The term spanking broadly encompasses the use of either the hand or implement, the use of implements can also refer to the administration of more specific types of corporal punishment such as caning, paddling and slippering.
Representation from 1895 of a mother spanking her child on the bare bottom with a hairbrush for breaking the vase
Scene in Naples of a mother spanking her son, made by Giorgio Conrad
Medieval representation of a schoolboy spanked with tree branches
Drawing from 1821 representing a school teacher from Rome spanking one of their students
A corporal punishment or a physical punishment is a punishment which is intended to cause physical pain to a person. When it is inflicted on minors, especially in home and school settings, its methods may include spanking or paddling. When it is inflicted on adults, it may be inflicted on prisoners and slaves, and can involve methods such as whipping with a belt or a horsewhip.
Birching, Germany, 17th century
Depiction of a flogging at Oregon State Penitentiary, 1908
Foot whipping an offender, Persia, 1910s
Corporal punishment in a women's prison in the United States (ca. 1890)
