Family Pledge c. 19th century

Joseph E. Baker created this lithograph titled "Family Pledge" during the temperance movement, a time of widespread social reform in America. Baker's print visualizes an idealized domestic life free from the grasp of "Intoxicating Liquors." But who was this domesticity for? The temperance movement was complex. For middle-class white women, it was a means to exert moral authority and protect their homes from the perceived threat of male drunkenness. But for many, especially women of color and the working class, temperance intersected with issues of race, class, and social control. The print reflects these tensions. The inscriptions about “Industry & Contentment” and “Honesty, Frugality, Religion” suggest the values that temperance was trying to instill. It’s also worth noting what’s not pictured here: the economic hardships that may have led people to drink. Instead, Baker offers an image of moral uplift through abstinence, one that resonates differently depending on who was being asked to pledge. Ultimately, this print is a poignant reminder of how social movements are never monolithic, and how deeply personal choices can be shaped by broader historical forces.