What Are The Similarities Between The Kitchen Maid By Marie Antionette And Her Children

The Kitchen Maid and Queen Marie Antionette and Her Children illustrates both contrasting and similarities in the lives the of the aristocracy and peasants.

The Kitchen Maid by Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin is a genre painting that represents the exhausting and laborious lives the lower class had no choice in doing. Unlike the aristocrats, the peasants had to choice other than working everyday. The Kitchen Maid is a typical domestic worker employed by the aristocracy whose livelihood depends completely on the higher class. In this painting, the woman must finish preparing the food, or else she risks becoming unemployed. This woman is at the age of having a family, by the looks of the wrinkles in her solemn face, and is most likely supporting

Although aristocrats were very wealthy and had a sizable amount of “old money” passed down through generations, their lives weren’t perfect. Looking at her face, it is almost as if she is glaring at the painter, and wishing it to be over with. She is paying no attention at all to her kids, two of which are wrapped around her arms. Like the maid, she is also unsatisfied with the way things are happening in her life. She has all the money in the world to do whatever she desires, buy head pieces, fancy dresses, gambling, and partying, yet she is still unhappy. Money cannot buy Marie’s happiness. Marie is the aristocracy, she employs people such as the Kitchen Maid to do anything she wishes not to do. Unlike the Kitchen Maid, material items are very important to her. They bring her popularity and status, even her kids in this photo are being used almost as trophys. The youngest one appears to be uncomfortable in their mother’s arms, as if this is something that doesn’t happen very often. The girl is hugging her mother, gazing up at her, craving her mother’s attention to no avail. Meanwhile, the boy on the right has almost given up on seeking his mother’s attention, and is looking at the painting the same was Marie is, wanting this to be over