School boy with slate board in a snowy landscape 1875

Albrecht Anker painted this compelling oil on canvas of a ‘School Boy with Slate Board in a Snowy Landscape’ during a period of significant social change, as Switzerland was transforming into a modern nation-state. Here, we see a young boy, presumably on his way to school, rendered with a directness that invites both empathy and reflection. The snow-covered landscape is a reminder of the realities of rural life, and the conditions many children faced in pursuit of education. Anker often focused on childhood subjects in ways that reflected his deep Protestant faith, and commitment to social reform. This representation invites us to consider how social mobility through education was, and continues to be, a central aspiration for many.