Servieskast en desserttafel 1839 - 1885

This lithograph is from a collection of furniture designs; it features a serving cabinet and a dessert table. Made anonymously, the lack of a known creator offers an opening to consider how design, even without a singular author, carries cultural values. Both pieces suggest a particular approach to domestic life, one steeped in ritual and class distinctions. The serving cabinet speaks to a life of formal entertainment. Similarly, the tiered dessert table evokes an almost theatrical presentation of food, reinforcing social hierarchies through the display of culinary refinement. As you consider these objects, reflect on the gendered division of labor inherent in these spaces. Who is serving and who is being served? How do these designs shape our understanding of the domestic sphere and the power dynamics within it?