West Indian Waitresses

Frankfurther’s composition is so carefully arranged that her two waitresses appear to mirror one another: from the crossover tops of their distinctive Lyons uniforms to their outstretched arms and tilted heads with white peaked headdresses inclining toward one another, implying a close personal as well as professional relationship between them. The rose-coloured background is typical of the ‘feminine’ palette that indicates Frankfurther’s instinctive sympathy for women. The strong verticals of the women’s bodies and solid horizontals of their beam-like arms form a static framework counterbalanced by a series of strong diagonals. Their gestures are stilled, suggesting a rare quiet moment among the noisy, busy reality of restaurant life. Frankfurther lifts the scene from the frenzy of the everyday, suspending it for our contemplation.