The artwork titled “Mrs Dora Lamm and Her Two Eldest Sons” is a portrait painted by the Swedish artist Carl Larsson in 1903. The painting belongs to the Art Nouveau movement, also known as Modern style, which was prevalent at the turn of the 20th century. This genre of the painting captures a familial scene that showcases a mother and her two children.
In the painting, Mrs. Dora Lamm is seated on an ornate gold and maroon chair, with voluminous folds of her red gown draped across and around the seat. She holds her infant son in her lap with a tender yet somewhat distracted expression. To her side, presumably on the floor, her other young son reclines. He dons a white dress with a blue sash and brown boots, typical of the fashion for young children of the era, irrespective of their gender. His gaze appears inquisitive, directed toward the viewer, adding a lifelike essence to the composition.
The background is richly detailed with Art Nouveau elements, displaying a decorative wall filled with intricate patterns, flora, and possibly mythological figures, along with an elegantly ornate mantelpiece adorned with a variety of objects including a clock, vases, and what appears to be a lush potted plant. The detailed tapestry behind the figures complements the sumptuousness of Mrs. Lamm’s gown and the overall aesthetic of affluence and artistic taste. Larsson’s signature and the year of the painting’s completion, ‘CL’ followed by ‘1903’, are visible at the bottom right, subtly incorporated within the scene.
