Udkast til det Waagepetersenske Familiebillede 1836

Wilhelm Marstrand sketched this draft for the Waagepetersen family portrait in pencil. It offers a glimpse into the domestic life of a prominent Danish family, likely in the mid-19th century. The composition, with its focus on familial interactions around a table, suggests themes of domesticity and social cohesion. The scene reflects bourgeois values prevalent in Denmark during this period, emphasizing the importance of family and the home as a sphere of comfort and stability. This was a time of significant social and political change in Denmark, with growing calls for democratic reforms. The family portrait, as a genre, often served to reinforce traditional social hierarchies. Further study of the Waagepetersen family and Marstrand’s other works, through archival documents and contemporary publications, would shed more light on this work’s place within the artistic and social landscape of 19th-century Denmark.