Albert Anker

Albert Anker had a total of six children, even if two boys died as infants. Marie Anker was his second daughter. This portrait was done when she was eleven years old and shows her as a neatly dressed pupil in elegant Parisian attire. She is standing erectly in front of a gray-brown background, facing slightly to the left. Her pale blue eyes gaze thoughtfully into the distance. Her head is covered by a black and blue hat, while a blonde pigtail falls down her back. Marie is wearing a black coat and dark blue gloves. Pale blue bows adorn her collar and hair. The light brown strap of a leather bag runs in a conspicuous diagonal across her torso. It has been highlighted by the painter to the same extent as the girl’s face and golden blonde hair. It belongs to a school bag of textbooks and exercise books that Marie Anker is proudly carrying. Anker’s children attended school in Paris in the winter, while they spent the summer months in Ins where they were homeschooled. The original leather school bag has been preserved until today. The owner is noted in neat handwriting on its flap: “Marie Anker / Rue de la grande Chaumière / Departement Seine Paris.”