Artwork

Group portrait of mother & two daughters

Group portrait of mother & two daughters, by Carl Schmid, oil, 1870
Group portrait of mother & two daughters, by Carl Schmid, oil, 1870

Group portrait of mother & two daughters is an oil painting by the Biedermeier artist Carl Schmid. It dates from 1870 and is held in the collection of the National Library of Wales.

About this work

Overview

Carl Schmid’s 1870 oil painting, titled *Group portrait of mother & two daughters*, presents a three‑person family scene. Executed in a formal composition, the work is part of the National Library of Wales’s collection and measures the quiet intimacy of a mother seated with one child on her lap while the other stands nearby.

Subject & Meaning

The central figure is a woman dressed in a dark, lace‑trimmed gown, accompanied by two young girls in lighter dresses adorned with ribbons. The arrangement suggests a domestic setting, emphasizing maternal care and the gentle bond between mother and children, conveyed through their relaxed postures and the serene expression of the group.

Technique & Style

Schmid employs chiaroscuro, contrasting illuminated areas with deep shadows to model the figures and give them a three‑dimensional presence. The background features a muted landscape of trees beneath a cloudy sky, rendered with soft brushwork that recedes behind the sharply defined foreground, reinforcing the painting’s sense of depth.

History & Provenance

Created in the early 1870s, the portrait entered the holdings of the National Library of Wales, where it remains accessible to scholars and the public. Its acquisition reflects the institution’s broader effort to preserve visual records of 19th‑century domestic life in Wales and the surrounding region.

Context

The work aligns with Victorian portrait conventions that favored formal presentation and moral overtones. By portraying a mother and her daughters in a composed, dignified manner, Schmid participates in contemporary visual narratives that celebrated family stability and the virtues of womanhood during the period.

Artist & collection

Artist

Carl Schmid

Carl Schmid turned everyday family life into quiet, close-up scenes in oil paint.