The mother and child theme in art not only has references to Christian art but also to the realities of caregiving by women. Johnson seems to have been particularly drawn to the theme as the result of his wife’s caring for their daughter, Ethel. —PH
Hills, 2021: Johnson was specific about dating the painting, which suggests an occasion he meant to commemorate. The likely models are his wife Elizabeth and daughter Ethel, who would have been about six months at that point. The identity of the boy is unknown; perhaps he was a Nantucket neighbor. Note that the figure other than the mother and baby is a boy, whereas in Sketch of a Baby, Mother, and Girl by Candlelight the additional figure is a girl.
Although John I. H. Baur owned and annotated a copy of the catalogue of Johnson's 1907 Estate Sale, he did not include this work in his own 1940 catalogue listing; he must have obtained it after publication.
"Signed at the lower right, E. J., Nantucket, Oct. 2, 1870.
Height, 20 inches; width, 16 inches."
[Annotation: “50.00”]
- Subject matter: