Grandmother I 1884

Anders Zorn created this etching, Grandmother I, in Sweden, likely in the late 19th or early 20th century. It offers an intimate portrayal of an elderly woman, rendered with remarkable detail for such a small print. The image provides a window into the social fabric of Zorn’s Sweden, where the older generation held a place of respect and represented a connection to the past. It’s hard not to consider the role of the family unit within Swedish society at that time. The grandmother would have been a repository of tradition and family history. Zorn, trained in academic art institutions, took a modern approach in this etching, capturing a sense of lived experience. Historical records, family archives, and studies of Swedish social customs of the time would add greater depth to our understanding. By studying the institutions of the era, we can learn about the changing dynamics of Swedish society.