Compare this work by Raphaelle Peale with a painting by Severin Roesen. Unlike the latter, a lavish display that fills the canvas, the work here seems bare, almost empty. They suggest a restraint that perhaps reflects the impoverished circumstances of the artist's life. This follows a simple compositional structure typical of his painting, with a few objects arranged on as ledge before an indistinct background. Still Life with Cake portrays only a blemished apple, raisins, and a "poor man's pound cake," usually made from leftover dough to which sugar or nutmeg would be added.
