Children of the Sea  1872

This charming scene contains a message. The children of a fisherman, with their tattered rags and paltry toys, offer us a glimpse of their future. The eldest boy carries the weight of the family on his shoulders, and the little boat stands for the rigours of life at sea. Jozef Israëls first painted this subject in 1863. It became enormously popular and the artist subsequen...