The Breakfast Tray, from c. 1910, allows us to get to know an artist almost lost to memory and as arguably her most provocative work, distinguishes Okie Paxton as a modern artist. Drawing on her apparent knowledge of art trends, this painting incorporates in both subtle and more overt ways the issues of her day, while demonstrating her mastery of tantalizing narrative. In a literal way, Okie Paxton links the “old” century with the “new” as a transitional figure, who also had a very modern temperament. Likewise, The Breakfast Tray offers an intelligent nod to art of the past, conveys the ambiguities of its period, and anticipates what modern and contemporary American art will become. The painting invites us into a world—feminine, messy, sensual, and believable. It is full of personality. Rather than convey a sense of easy domestic harmony, this bedroom can evoke wonder, anxiety, curiosity... (http://arttimesjournal.com/art/Art_Essays/summer-14-rena-tobey/elizabeth-okie-paxton.html)