A young girl with lace cap is seated on a ladderback chair outside while balancing a bowl between her legs. In 1894, an earlier study with the same title was given to the photographers “towheaded nephew Carl, about to swallow a spoonful of gruel.” (1.)

In the nineteenth century, it was unheard of for a commercial photographer to portray a child eating. But once women entered the profession, they looked for beauty in everyday life in and around their homes, resulting in compositions of domestic life. This photograph was acclaimed as a fine example of what women could do with the camera. It was reproduced in “Baby Photography for Amateurs,” Photo-Era, October 1900, and in “Women Photographers and Their Work,” The Delineator, November 1901. – Suzanne L. Flynt: From Introduction: Photo Essay: The Allen Sisters: “Foremost Women Photographers in America” Historical Journal of Massachusetts • Fall 2009

1. published photo: see Juan C. Abel, “Women Photographers and Their Work,” The Delineator 58, no. 5 (November 1901) : 747-51; also reproduced in “Baby Photography for Amateurs,” Photo-Era, October 1900. Carl Allen: 1892-1971.