Huisgerief / Ustensiles de ménage 1833 - 1911

Curator: We are standing before "Huisgerief/Ustensiles de ménage," a print dating roughly from 1833 to 1911, created by Brepols & Dierckx zoon, now residing in the Rijksmuseum collection. It’s an inventory, really, a beautifully rendered sheet of household objects. Editor: My first impression? Nostalgia tinged with whimsy. The gentle pastels and slightly cartoonish outlines give it a dreamlike quality, like a child's memory of a long-gone pantry. It feels both familiar and utterly foreign. Curator: That juxtaposition is key. The work functions as a document of domestic life. What narratives are privileged when viewing domesticity? When examining it from feminist or Marxist perspective, we can see how it reflects social expectations surrounding gender roles, as well as broader shifts in class and labor. Editor: Absolutely. The objects themselves are quite charming! A little coffee pot, a delicate glass flask, and…is that a tiny birdcage? They are like characters from a fairy tale, all perfectly self-contained yet hinting at complex domestic dramas. It strikes me as simultaneously functional and symbolic, mirroring everyday activity and offering glimpses of desires. Curator: Consider the cultural capital associated with each object, too. Who had access to these goods? Who used them, and how were those uses prescribed or limited by social norms? The composition emphasizes a very particular experience of "home". Editor: It is quite sanitized, isn’t it? Where is the mess, the grit, the everyday imperfections? Perhaps the print is speaking to aspirations more than realities; an idealized domesticity created to be consumed. Still, that soft palette calls for gentle curiosity! Curator: Exactly! By critically examining how such images participate in constructing and reinforcing social hierarchies, we gain a deeper understanding of their enduring power. Thank you for this discussion. Editor: My pleasure! This has made me see the kitchen in a completely new light; one full of subtle intrigue!