Bowl of Fruit c.1830 – A Poem

There is a performative aspect to this painting. The curtains remind me of theatre curtains, the fruit is oversized, and the dual plates and knives are carefully positioned downstage.

But the kitchens of the 19th century were not performative. Tucked away in a cooler side of the house, they concealed domestic labour, kept cooking smells at bay, and were utilitarian and plainly furnished. Or there was no kitchen at all – the fireplace was the kitchen.

Though not from the US, here are some illustrations of 1830s kitchens. Here is a very impressive 1830 kitchen from one of the UK’s most stately homes. Here are some late 19th century kitchens. And here are some more kitchens through the ages in art here, and here.

It wasn’t until the early 20th century that changing lifestyles and technology started to make the kitchen a more openly social space. Then in the 1970s and 1980s, open play layouts arrived. And while cooking shows always existed, they only started to explode on our screens in the 21st century.

More of my ekphrastic poetry here. This is a list poem in free verse.

Bowl of Fruit c.1830

Before Masterchef
Iron Chef, Naked Chef,
British Bake Off, Junior Bake Off
Ultimate Cake Off,
Kitchen Nightmares
Hell’s Kitchen
Cutthroat Kitchen
Chopped
Julia Child, Mary Berry
Nigella Bites, Heston’s Feasts
Hairy Bikers, Two Fat Ladies
Rick Stein’s Cornwall
Stanley Tucci’s Italy
Come Dine with Me
Ready, Steady, Cook
a woman in a long linen apron
in a high curtain-lined scullery
with plain wooden tables
laid two knives on two plates
and waited to demonstrate
the best way to slice melons
so as not to waste a bite.

©elsp 2026

YouTube version:

The other paintings in this video are:

James Cassie, “The Kitchen of Barra Castle, Aberdeenshire”. 1854. Oil on board. Image in the public domain. Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums

Frank Holl, “Peeling Potatoes” c. 1880. Oil on canvas. Image in the public domain. Yale Center for British Art

George Pyne, “The Kitchen of an Oxford College”. 1858. Watercolour. Image in the public domain. Yale Center for British Art