Young Wife: First Stew
Painted in New York at the height of Spencer’s popularity, Young Wife: First Stew is the companion piece to Young Husband: First Marketing. The produce obtained by the husband on his ill-advised shopping trip now appears on his wife’s kitchen table, including a pineapple, eggs, and asparagus. In the early stages of preparing a stew, the fashionable yet distraught young woman peels an onion, while her puzzled household helper looks on. When exhibited in 1856, the picture was singled out in the press for its technical expertise—notably Spencer’s handling of the still life—as well as the unconventional subject matter.
Artwork Details
- Title: Young Wife: First Stew
- Artist: Lilly Martin Spencer (1822–1902)
- Date: 1854
- Geography: Made in New York, New York, United States
- Culture: American
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 30 × 24 in. (76.2 × 61 cm)
Framed: 40 × 35 × 3 in. (101.6 × 88.9 × 7.6 cm) - Credit Line: Gift of Bruce and Susan Lueck, 2017
- Object Number: 2017.369
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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Lilly Martin Spencer
ca. 1851–52
Lilly Martin Spencer
1854
John William Casilear
1883
William Dannat
1884
Robert S. Duncanson
1852
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