The First Place

The painting shows a maid in tears in the middle of the room. She has been sweeping the hearth (or carpet) using a dustpan and brush. The title indicates the source of her unhappiness - she is overcome with the difficulties of her first position, away from her own home and family. It provides an accurate and detailed view of a mainstream middle-class home. It is also unusual because its subject is a servantÂ’s experience. The experience of servants has tended to be overlooked by historians and they are under-represented in the museumÂ’s galleries.