American values take shape in the objects we make, desire, cherish, and discard. A table laden with ripe fruit, a meal served up at a luncheonette, the inside of a medicine cabinet—ordinary materials around us chronicle our lives. The still life, a genre of art that dates back to the ancient world, captures those objects of everyday life while often conveying deeper meanings and hidden messages.

As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Desire and Abundance features a selection from MAG’s collection of American still lifes, spanning from the 1800s to the present. Taken together, these artworks present an array of items that underscore shifting tastes in American art, commerce, and daily life.

Img: John Francis, Still Life with Fruits, 1865, oil on canvas. Marion Stratton Gould Fund, 1971.7