Feeding the Swans

This is a picture by Edith Hayllar called Feeding the Swans (1889). It is a portrait of a woman and a young girl on a dock feeding two swans. Further back up the dock is a man leaning towards a woman who is sitting down holding a tea cup. The background consists of a house with elderly women sitting and also drinking tea. Lining the outer edges of the painting are numerous trees. The scenic portrait of the people leisurely feeding swans and drinking tea gives off a serene and ordered tone, which acted as a direct response to the atmosphere Hayllar was living in at the time. The 19th century was a time of social unrest. There were many movements fighting for women's rights. Because many social changes were taking place, a higher demand for conservatism resulted, which can be seen in Hayllar's painting. All of the women are situated near the house, which was a symbol of a woman's social expectation to have a domestic lifestyle. The woman feeding the swan is holding hands with a child, which is another traditional symbol associated with women: motherhood. Also, the act of feeding swans itself is a nurturing characteristic, while the colors and composition of the women are light and soft, again emphasizing feminine characteristics. Despite all the numerous symbols depicting a woman's role in society, it can be argued that the emphasis of the painting is the man, who is positioned in the very center. All of the other women are cast off to the side, and most are in a submissive position (sitting down), while the man is standing up in a dominant position. The straight lines on his arms and legs versus the curvy lines of the women also reinforces the idea of strength/power, which is entitled solely to the man. He also seems to slightly hunch over towards the woman, either to help her stand up or to give her something; both of which can be interpreted to emphasize the man as being the dominant support system of a household. This idea combated with the economic changes happening at the time, in which women were fighting for positions in the workplace. Overall, Edith Hayllar's Feeding of the Swans was a reflection of gender expectations in the 19th century and the yearning to keep these traditional ideas alive despite social and economic unrest.