Flask c. 1940

Beverly Chichester, born in 1855, rendered this watercolor work, "Flask," with a tender attention to detail. Chichester lived through profound shifts in gender roles and expectations; her lifespan almost bookends the first and second waves of feminism. This image of a flask, rendered in muted browns and oranges, speaks to the quiet dignity of domestic life. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, women artists often found themselves confined to the domestic sphere, and their art reflected this reality. Chichester seems to both embrace and transcend these limitations. The flask itself is an object of utility, but the delicate rendering transforms it into something more profound. It becomes a symbol of containment, preservation, and perhaps even the hidden depths within the domestic experience. This artwork invites us to consider the ways in which women artists like Chichester found beauty and meaning in the everyday, and how their art challenged and redefined traditional notions of femininity.