“Betty at the Churn”

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

Processing milk into butter and cheese was one way of preserving dairy products before refrigeration. The fat in the cream coalesced into butter as it was agitated, or “churned”. The thin buttermilk left behind was washed out before the butter was carefully packed away. New England farm women played a vital economic role in the 19th century by producing surplus butter and cheese to sell at the local store. The storekeeper in turn sold large quantities of this locally produced butter and cheese to traders who shipped it as far away as the West Indies. The Allen sisters of Deerfield, Massachusetts, sought to evoke an earlier era when they posed this young woman churning butter with a cat eagerly lapping up the cream spilling on the floor.

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Details

Item typeArtwork
Photograph
PhotographerAllen, Frances and Mary
Datecirca 1904
PlaceDeerfield, Massachusetts
TopicFood, Cooking, Beverage, Alcohol
Colonial Revival, Arts and Crafts Movement
EraProgressive Era, World War I, 1900–1928
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatPhotography
Dimension details.01: 8″ x 5″ no border .02: 8.125″ x 5.5″ no border
Catalog #1996.14.2304.01-.02
View this item in our curatorial database →
Allen, Frances and Mary, photographer. Betty at the Churn. Photograph. ca. 1904. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/1996-14-2304-01-02/. Accessed on December 7, 2024.

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