Odd may not be a strong enough descriptive term for this portrait of Gloria Wilson and her “Kitchen Maid: as titled by Richards Studio in May 1950. Once you get past the facial resemblance it may be of interest to know that Gloria’s unseated companion is made entirely of kitchen/household items- a broom peeking out from under the tablecloth gown, rubber glove hands holding a napkin bouquet and a mop for the hairstyle. The whole composition of the studio shot has a Twilight Zone edge to it and there seems to be just a bit of maniacal anger in Gloria’s calm housewife attire and expression. It looks like she used her own face to personalize the figure and maybe make a very satirical comment about how women’s roles were viewed in mid-century America.
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