This Little Pig Went to Market
Lilly Martin Spencer
c. 1857
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
61 × 50.8 cm (24 × 20 in.)
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
259839
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Lilly Martin Spencer positioned women at the center of her vivid portrayals of the everyday activities of white, urban, middle-class households like her own. This Little Pig Went to Market features a mother and child (modeled by the artist and her son William Henry) reciting a playful nursery rhyme. The game celebrates their emotional bond while also hinting at the larger world that the boy will eventually join. Establishing herself professionally in Cincinnati and relocating to New York in 184...