Bildnis des Victor Scholderer als Kleinkind c. 1880 - 1881

Otto Scholderer made this drawing of Victor Scholderer as a toddler in Germany in the mid-19th century. It is a sketch in graphite on paper. The portrait captures a moment in the childhood of Victor, son of the artist. But it also reflects the social and cultural values of the time, when the rise of the bourgeoisie encouraged sentimental portrayals of family life. The drawing aesthetic can be understood in the context of the German Biedermeier movement, with its emphasis on domesticity and intimacy. What makes this portrait compelling is the infant Victor’s grip on a feathered quill, as if he is an artist at work, or about to compose a letter. The Städel Museum in Frankfurt, where the artwork is housed, would be a good place to start if we wanted to trace how the art academy in Germany contributed to the making of this artwork. And the family archives of the Scholderers would be good to consult in order to better understand the image's status as both a personal and social document.