Sarah Winchester's Food System

Sarah Winchester's Food System

Thich, Kevin

Sarah Winchester's Finances

These two images demonstrate how the specific technology used by her servants would deliver food to her. Her servants would first cook food and then place them in the device of the second picture to send them up to Sarah Winchester. Then, it would be accessible to Sarah Winchester or her servant to serve it to her from the device in the first picture. Again, similar to the laundry patent, this particular aspect of the house can be interpreted as abundant wealth because of her ability to fund anything that would be of convenience for her or her servants. Not only does this item exhibit the issues of democratization that is raised in the laundry patent item, but it also relates to public memory by highlighting specifically what the "place at the table" means that Dickinson refers to when he discusses about restaurants. This particular food transportation device certainly must have made her servants' jobs easier, but it also reinforces their relationship as servant and master. Sarah Winchester's supposedly "place at the table" is no longer just being at the seat of the head house at a table, but also physically above her servants as her bedroom would be a floor above their kitchen. Therefore, manifesting again their difference in class.

Source:
Personal photo by Kevin Thich during the house tour.

Kevin Thich

Kevin Thich,
Dominick Ott

2020-01-23