Butchering Day

Jennie Cell, Butchering Day, ca. 1955, oil on fiberboard, 16 ¹⁄₈ x 26 ¹⁄₂ in. (40.8 x 67.3 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James M. Mundis, 1972.55.1

Artwork Details

Title: Butchering Day
Artist: Jennie Cell
Date: ca. 1955
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 16 ¹⁄₈ x 26 ¹⁄₂ in. (40.8 x 67.3 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James M. Mundis
Mediums: oil
Mediums Description: oil on fiberboard
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Animal — pig
Occupation — farm — animal husbandry
Landscape — farm
Figure group — male
Object Number: 1972.55.1
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1972.55.1

Artwork Description

Jennie Cell painted simple scenes of everyday life inspired by her childhood on a farm. In Butchering Day a group of people clean, dry, cut, and cook meat, and in Pruning Time, men trim dead branches from the trees to encourage new growth. Cell emphasized the collective spirit of activities like these, which required many hands and were occasions for friends and neighbors to help one another. The bare trees and dull colors hint at the bleakness of farm life, but the cheerful workers suggest that Cell's family supported each other through the hard times.