VAM galleries including this work:
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Mary Bruce Sharon wrote this about her work Christmas Dinner, which depicts a family gathering in 1885:

Christmas at Grandpa’s was the high point of the year. There was so much excitement, so many presents, such delicious food, so many fond relatives. Sometimes there would be as many as 50 of the Bruce cousins to help celebrate, but Grandpa told me he loved me best. He was the only father I ever really knew.

Dinner was usually in the middle of the day. Roast turkey, stuffed goose, ham aged in Grandpa’s smokehouse, hot rolls, hot biscuits, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, preserves and jellies, and, of course, mince pies, sweet potato pies, white and dark fruitcakes, all kinds of other delectable desserts, nuts, and raisins, and brandy for the gentlemen. No wonder all the grown-ups took naps afterward, while the children played with their new toys.

In the evening, everyone revived enough to partake largely of a cold collation, preceded by several toddies. Later on, Grandpa would resort to his “faithful friend,” bicarbonate of soda.

About the Artist

Mary Bruce Sharon moved to Covington, Kentucky after the death of her father in 1880. Under the care of her wealthy grandfather, Col. Henry Bruce (a Confederate sympathizer and businessman who helped hire John Roebling to design and build the famous suspension bridge that crosses the Ohio River between Covington and Cincinnati), she led a privileged life there. She had her own playroom equipped with working appliances; met famous people like Sitting Bull, Tom Thumb, and Buffalo Bill; and traveled with her family to New York City for part of each year. Mary visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the first time when she was 7. Both her mother and grandfather collected art.

Mary wed Fredrick Christy Sharon, and the couple spent the early years of their marriage in Kansas City. They had one child, Henrietta. The Sharons moved to New York in 1939 and then to Connecticut. After her husband died in 1944, Mary went to live with her daughter.

At the age of 71, Sharon (known as “Mouse” to her friends) took up painting at the suggestion of her son-in-law, abstract painter Carroll Aument. She continued until her death in 1961, completing 150 paintings in 13 years. She worked mostly in gouache—a heavy, opaque watercolor paint that produces a drier-looking and more strongly colored result than ordinary watercolor.

Most of Sharon’s paintings depict scenes from her early childhood. Her artwork was influenced by such themes as her childhood in Covington, the Ohio and Licking rivers, and the Kentucky Derby. The clothing, architecture, and furnishings she painted offer a glimpse into the world of a wealthy child in the late 1800s, including popular activities and family traditions. Sharon also painted scenes of New York City as well as others inspired by stories from her grandfather’s and great-grandparents’ lives.

Sharon’s paintings were exhibited at the Taft Museum in Cincinnati and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Her works also have been included in a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit and in a book she wrote, Scenes from Childhood.

Classroom Ideas

Discussion: What period in history do you think this painting depicts? How do this painting and the artist’s description of Christmas dinner compare to the way a special holiday is celebrated in your house? How many people are shown in the painting? What are they doing? Is everyone enjoying Christmas dinner? Are some of the people working? What is repeated in the painting?

Activities: Both Mary Bruce Sharon and Helen La France Orr (in the Kentucky Library and Museum gallery of the Virtual Art Museum) paint memories of their childhoods. Compare the paintings by each woman. In what ways are their styles similar? How do their works differ? Do the paintings give you an idea about what life was like for each woman growing up?

Choose a holiday that is special to you. Write a description of how you spend the day. Do some people work on your holiday? Who? What do they do? Create a work of art showing your holiday.

Link

Read about Victorian Christmas traditions at Victoriana.com.
[www.victoriana.com/christmas/]