How might art tell a story?

How might literature inform a work of art?

What can artists reveal about a culture or society, and what might be missing from the narratives they depict?

How is art infused in our daily life?

Let’s look closely at this painting. Describe the setting. What kinds of activities do you think might take place here?

This painting is titled Chloe and Sam. Sam was a neighbor of the artist, Thomas Hovenden. The female figure may have been Sam’s wife Hester, but the artist has changed her name in the title to reference a character in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, an 1852 antislavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe. What are the implications of representing a person in this way, not as themselves but as a character?

Look at Sam. How would you describe him? What is he doing? What do you think might be in the pot in front of him?

Look at the woman in the painting, Chloe. How would you describe her? What is she doing?

Let’s take a moment to think about household chores and the steps involved in them. Are there any steps we don’t see? (i.e., washing the clothes, cleaning the dishes, cutting vegetables, picking vegetables from the garden, planting seeds, etc.)

Have you ever helped in the kitchen? Was there something special you made?

Grades 1–3

Students will create a recipe card showing the steps for making a special dish. Students can select a dish they have made before or a dish they would like to try making. It doesn’t have to be complicated! PB&J sandwiches or Lunchables pizzas are great options.