Skillet c. 1939

John H. Tercuzzi painted this watercolor of a humble skillet. Tercuzzi was active during a time when American art began to grapple with industrialization and its effects on everyday life. At first glance, it's easy to overlook the cultural weight of such an object. But think for a moment about what this skillet represents. It's a tool, deeply connected to domestic labor, historically performed by women. In the absence of other information, we can consider the skillet as a symbol of women’s work. But who was using it? Was it used by enslaved people forced to cook for others, or by free women cooking for their families? Tercuzzi's work invites us to consider the intersection of gender, race, and class in the most intimate spaces of daily life. The skillet stands as a testament to the stories, labor, and histories embedded in our most ordinary possessions.