A Family Group: The Artist’s Wife and Children: ‘Papa Painting!’ 1905

Curator: Solomon J. Solomon painted this intimate family portrait, “A Family Group: The Artist’s Wife and Children: ‘Papa Painting!’”, sometime during his career. Editor: It feels incredibly staged, yet warm. The mother and children are posed, of course, but there’s a comfortable intimacy here. Curator: Solomon was a successful portraitist; he knew how to capture the aspirational middle class in Britain. This painting showcases the Victorian ideals of domesticity. Editor: Yes, but look at the casual gaze of the standing child, it's a challenge to those ideals of domesticity. The mother is adorned with jewelry, and the children are in spotless white dresses, but there is a subtle rebellion. Curator: Do you think? For me, it seems to reinforce those gendered roles of domestic life that were so prevalent at the time. Editor: Perhaps it does, but I see nuances of power dynamics, of the performativity of family, of the mother's social role on display in this space. Curator: It’s interesting how we can see different meanings embedded in a single image. Editor: Exactly. And to consider its role in shaping our understanding of the family then—and now.