20 Victorian Portraits of Mothers and Children

Victorian tinting artists often reserved soft rose pigments for young children, using sheer hand-painted washes to bring warmth to monochrome plates. While mothers wore austere black silk balanced by eyelet lace collars, daughters were presented as brightly dressed companions. Accentuating the child’s dress with a simple muted pink wash and a delicate strand of pearls, this portrait captures an understated pop of color against the mother’s piercing stare.