Beer Pitcher c. 1936

Florence Stevenson sketched this "Beer Pitcher" using graphite and blue paint wash on paper. Born in the mid-19th century, Stevenson would have experienced a world where women’s roles were largely confined to the domestic sphere. This drawing on paper is of a beer pitcher, an object typically associated with male sociability. As such, the image provides an interesting gendered lens through which to consider domesticity, social expectations, and artistic expression. Here, Stevenson subverts traditional representations by portraying a scene that seems straight out of some romantic fable. We see an ethereal winged female figure, possibly an angel, floating alongside a man on horseback. The delicate use of the blue wash creates an atmosphere of dreams and fairytales. Is this an assertion of female agency, reimagining and inserting herself into a male-dominated narrative? The drawing offers a glimpse into the artist’s inner world, a space where imagination and creativity provide refuge from the constraints of everyday life. It invites us to reflect on the personal and emotional dimensions of artistic creation, and the ways in which art can challenge societal norms.