Fire and Freedom Washington: Washington at Mount Vernon, 1797, Nathaniel Currier, 1852
What do meals have to do with societal placement? WVSOM’s James R. Stookey Library explores this topic with “Fire and Freedom: Food and Enslavement in Early America.”
The traveling exhibit is part of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and will be on display through Mar. 24.
In the Chesapeake region, during the colonial era, European settlers’ survival relied on indentured servants and slave labor for life-saving knowledge of farming and food acquisition. At that time settlers suffered from poor nutrition and widespread illness due to lack of medical care.
The exhibition uses George Washington’s Mount Vernon as an example of how meals reveal the way power is exchanged between and among different peoples, races, genders and classes.
Fire and Freedom The Prudent Housewife: Detail from The Prudent Housewife, Or compleat English Cook…, Lydia Fisher, 1800
It also highlights the dangers of the kitchen in colonial times. Enslaved cooks endured sweltering heat and were at risk of being burned at all times. Preparing food over an open flame was also dangerous, if the fire was too hot, food would be destroyed.
Stories such as Lucy Lee, an enslaved cook, are featured. The display includes her blended cooking style, incorporating African, Native American and European methods for residents at Mount Vernon.
Community members are invited to the WVSOM library exhibit, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information about the exhibit, contact the library at 304-647-6261. Information about the exhibit can also be found at www.nlm.nih.gov/fireandfreedom.
