The American trompe l’oeil artist John Frederick Peto depicted ordinary objects at their actual size in his paintings. Peto worked within the genre throughout his career and The Poor Man’s Store is an early example of his aesthetic style. The jumble of goods displayed through an open window in the painting portrays candies and fruit, gingerbread and nuts. According to historical accounts, this shop window would have been a common sight on the streets of Philadelphia. Due to the disorderly arrangement of the humble items, Peto rarely had wealthy patrons and his work was often misattributed to the more successful tromp l’oeil painter William Harnett by unscrupulous art dealers (1).
Old-fashioned Molasses Cookies
Recipe by my grandmother
Yield: around 72 cookies
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
3 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup water
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
Mix sugar, butter, eggs and molasses. Dissolve baking soda in water; stir into molasses mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Heat oven to 375°F/190°C degrees. Roll dough ¼ inch thick on lightly floured cloth covered board. Cut with favorite cutter. Place 2 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake until light brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool.
5 comments
Patricia Fizell says:
Dec 10, 2011
Interesting Painting! Cookies look yummy. Where is the cream cheese frosting?
Rosa says:
Dec 10, 2011
Lovely cookies! What a great artist. I love that painting.
Cheers,
Rosa
Big Fan says:
Dec 10, 2011
oh so good. I like the Michigan mitten cookie cutter.
Julie says:
Dec 11, 2011
A taste of home during the holidays – could there be anything better?
Love you lots.
leslie says:
Dec 12, 2011
I am so excited to have found your blog today! I’m looking forward to exploring the posts :)