What do you see going on in this work of art? Is there a story depicted?

This painting goes against stereotypes of women in the kitchen. It is rare in the 1880s to see a woman in the working class pick the newspaper over performing household duties, such as doing the dishes in the kitchen. This wealthy female is reading the newspaper without caring to do the dishes.

What different visual elements (ie: line, color, light, proportions, scale, composition, media type etc.) do you notice, and how do they help you make sense of the artwork?

This painting is fairly dull. The only lighting or glow effect is the woman to showcase her reading the newspaper. The newspaper doesn’t have words for the audience to see, so we focused more on the woman reading it instead of doing the dishes. The only actually bright color is on her shirt, which is pink and red.

What choices do you think the museum made about the object’s display?

The painting was placed in a room full of other women. It’s meant to portray a message about feminism and women’s rights.

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