This 1856 genre painting depicts an upper middle class woman preparing food. But she is not at a hot stove in the kitchen. Instead, picturesque baskets of fruit are arranged on a table in a room with a carpeted floor. It was much more likely a cook and maid were preparing and serving food in a house of this status. The artist, Lilly Martin Spencer, was sending mixed messages about the role of the ideal housewife. On one hand, the image represents the nineteenth century woman’s sphere in the home. But the woman does not conform to the ideal in her flirtation with the viewer and saucy statement “if you try to kiss me, you’ll really get a spoon full of molasses.”
Painting, Kiss Me and You’ll Kiss the ‘Lasses, Lilly Martin Spencer, 1856. (Courtesy of Brooklyn Museum and Internet Archive)
Image featured in Investigating Family, Food, and Housing Themes in Social Studies by Cynthia Resor
This is a good picture that shows gender bias in the 19th century. The women were expected to cook, clean, and bare children. They were seen as items, and weren’t always willing to do the things they were expected as them.
I think I could use this to show students how much the presence of women has changed over the years. Also, how far women have came to get the rights that they have today.
I plan to use this historical image in a lesson on visual literacy. Students could practices the seven strategies described in Examining the Evidence: Seven Strategies for Teaching with Primary Sources.