The Quilting Frolic

This painting by German immigrant painter John Lewis Krimmel (born Johann Ludwig Krimmel) depicts a busy domestic setting with people of different ages and backgrounds. Dating to the early 1800s, Krimmel’s painting celebrates middle-class life and comfort while reinforcing harmful misrepresentations of African Americans, suggesting contentment in their roles as servants. The chaotic assembly circles an unknown young Black female caricature depicted in a position of servitude. Her gaze focuses on the dominant white male, and her expression would suggest contentment. While Black women and girls often performed skilled work in their own and others’ households, representations of “happy servants” represent visual and material reminders of the oppressive beliefs and circumstances Black people faced during this era.