Moder med sovende barn på skødet i sovekammer 1810 - 1873

This pen and ink drawing by Wilhelm Marstrand shows a mother cradling her sleeping child in a bedroom. Made in Denmark, likely in the mid-19th century, it encapsulates a rising bourgeois sentiment around domesticity and the central role of women in nurturing the family. The composition, with its emphasis on intimacy, can be read as a reaction to earlier, more formal depictions of motherhood in the art academies. Marstrand was a leading figure in the Danish Golden Age, a period of national romanticism. His work often reflected the values of the rising middle class, with its emphasis on piety and family. The image invites us to consider the societal expectations placed on women during this era, and the way in which these expectations were both reflected and reinforced by art. To fully appreciate this work, research into the Danish art scene of the time, as well as studies of bourgeois culture, can shed light on the social and institutional context.