Mother & Child

Oil on canvas, inscribed and dated “Paris, 1860”

. Painting size: 14” x 10.75”
Frame: 20” x 16.75”

Though his life and career were sadly short, American painter William H. Brigham lived in Boston during the 1850’s, and, in 1860, managed a stint in Paris, evidenced by the inscription on this genre painting.

Here, a sweet-faced young mother looks attentively at her toddler who, with hands clasped, may be reciting a prayer or relaying an involved story. The child’s wigglesome legs slide off the mother’s lap towards the floor, yet he is secure in her arms and in her love.

Brigham exhibited at the National Academy of Design in New York City in 1863. He is listed in Who Was Who in American Art (Falk, 1999).