Design for panels framing a mirror decorated with scrolls and clusters of fish and vegetables 1830 - 1897

This design for panels framing a mirror, decorated with scrolls and clusters of fish and vegetables, was made by Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise, though the artwork's date is unknown. Here, Lachaise imagines a domestic space through the depiction of ornamentation. We see a design that includes hanging fish and clusters of vegetables and scrolls. It’s tempting to think about the class dynamics at play in such an image; ornamentation has historically been considered a signifier of wealth. But what is often left unsaid is how those with wealth are often dependent on the labor of others, particularly domestic workers. The presence of food, often associated with care and nurturing, could also be said to represent the work of those who maintain the household.