Most likely painted on the Isle of Capri, this little boy holds a branch of what appear to be apple blossoms in this charming Victorian era painting by Sophie Anderson (1823-1903). With his windswept and riotous curly hair, red cheeks and arresting brown eyes, the little boy magically draws you into his piercing gaze. Like so many of her paintings, the flowers are done with an almost photographic clarity.
Anderson was a French-born English pre-Raphaelite painter known for her portraits of children. This particular painting was sold in 2005 and realized a price of over $41,000. To learn more about her life and her work and to view a selection of her famous paintings, please visit our biography on Sophie Anderson.
The digital image shown here is of a public domain work but under British law, the photographic copy of this work is protected by copyright in that country.