Still Life Pairings: Recipes from History

Still Life Pairings: Recipes from History
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California Fruis + Cookery
A pairing of two still lifes from the SMCMoA collection with period recipes and publications. 
Elizabeth Emerson Keith (1838-1882) California Fruit, c. 1872, 24 x 20 inches, oil on canvas, Gift of Alice Scott-Knight Smith in memory of Irving M. Scott; conservation treatment sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Valentine Brookes, Saint Mary’s College Museum of Art Permanent Collection [0-277]

California Fruit

California Fruit features not only a wide variety of produce —cantaloupe, Flame Tokay grapes, a Damson plum, hazelnuts, and a French prune—but also incorporates a knife in the popular Windsor pattern and a later Ch'ing Dynasty vase to lead the viewer's eye into the composition and offer visual interest. " (Bountiful Harvest catalog, by Janice Driesbach)

Shortly after California Fruit was painted, Hester Pooles published (1889) Fruits and how to use them. The guide is described as "a practical manual for housekeepers; containing nearly seven hundred recipes for wholesome preparation of foreign and domestic fruits." This summer as your fruits ripen, peruse Pooles' guide for suggestions on sharing and preserving. 

Image: Elizabeth Emerson Keith (1838-1882) California Fruit, c. 1872, 24 x 20 inches, oil on canvas, Gift of Alice Scott-Knight Smith in memory of Irving M. Scott; conservation treatment sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Valentine Brookes, Saint Mary’s College Museum of Art Permanent Collection [0-277].

Fruits, and how to use them

 

Still Life with Tazza and Fruit

Still Life with Tazza and Fruit, accessed in 2014, features a layered composition of fruits, textiles, and platters. In the top center, a gilded tazza with two putti hold a display of glowing pineapple, dangling grapes, two apples, and a single peach and lemon. Below, a shallow bowl holds peaches, plums, and grapes. The bowl, positioned on a lavish red velvet cloth, rests on the marble table.

If Elizabeth was looking to make a treat, she could have referred to The California Practical Cook Book published by Pacific Press Publishing Co. of Oakland (1882). This regional cookery collection holds recipes for apple fritters (pg. 4), canned pears (pg. 37), and plum catsup (pg. 41), amongst others. 

Image: Elizabeth Emerson Keith (1838-1882) Still Life with Tazza and Fruit, n.d. 24 x 20 inches, oil on canvas, Saint Mary’s Collge Museum of Art Permanent Collection [2014.4].

The California Practical Cook Book

 

Elizabeth Emerson Keith (1838-1882) Still Life with Tazza and Fruit, n.d.,24 x 20 inches, oil on canvas, Saint Mary’s College Museum of Art Permanent Collection [2014.4]

About Elizabeth Emerson Keith:

Elizabeth Emerson Keith (1838-1882) was born in Thomaston, Maine in 1838. The daughter of a sea captain, Elizabeth, affectionately known as Lizzie, received a well-rounded education emphasizing the arts and languages. In 1860, due to the brewing tension preceding the Civil War, the Emerson family moved to Half Moon Bay, California. Elizabeth married William Keith in 1864.

History indicates that William Keith may have received watercolor instruction from Lizzy.  William Keith first exhibited his watercolors in 1866 and they were praised by critics. His subject matter included views of Yosemite and other High Sierra locations.

A painter in her own right, Lizzie was most known for her still life, bird studies, and landscapes. While living in Boston with her husband, genre painter Karl Wilhelm Hahn applauded Lizzie for her mastery of fruit and flower paintings in the 1872 March edition of the Boston Times.

On March 9, 1882, Lizzie Keith died of a heart ailment. Upon her death, William Keith wrote in a letter, “Eighteen years of married life with never a cross look or word from her, but, oh, how many from me. I know her dead far better than when she was here – the pathetic patience – and love with which she bore my impatience.” Although her husband was often gone, Lizzie remained committed to her home, husband, and family, while still finding the time to pursue her passions of painting and teaching.

 

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