Bertha Gugger with daughter 1898

Albrecht Anker painted “Bertha Gugger with daughter” in Switzerland, capturing a seemingly simple domestic scene. But it's worth considering how social and economic forces shape what appears in the image. During the 19th century, Switzerland was undergoing rapid industrialization, yet traditional values and family life remained central to its national identity. Anker, trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, returned to Switzerland and focused on genre paintings depicting rural life, particularly children. Here, the mother is knitting, a common domestic task, while the daughter watches attentively. Anker idealizes the mother-daughter relationship, presenting it as a nurturing and harmonious bond. To understand Anker’s work better, we can explore the history of Swiss painting and examine the economic structures that shaped the lives of ordinary people. Such resources can help us interpret the meaning of the art and to recognize it as deeply shaped by social and institutional context.