November 17th century

This miniature image is called 'November,' and it was made anonymously through woodcut. Although we don't know the artist, this print offers a glimpse into the lives of those who toiled in obscurity. The figures are clearly delineated by class and gender. The women in the foreground are engaged in the work of slaughtering and butchering a pig. While in the background the men are working in the fields, and returning to the city. These observations open up a space to consider who was doing what labor. Gender is not merely descriptive, it is an ordering principle. Who gets to do what, and why? There is an emotional charge that comes from the acknowledgment of the relationship between humans and animals. What does it mean to take a life to sustain your own? This print shows an historical and cultural context where there's an intimacy with the means of survival, while raising questions of labor, gender and the ethics of what we consume.