When the Esche couple saw the group portrait by Munch at Dr. Linde's in Lübeck of his four boys (today in the Lübeck Museum, see Edvard Munch and Lübeck (exh. cat. Lübeck 2003)) , the desire arose for a corresponding picture of their own children Hans-Herbert (1900-1976) and Erdmute (inv. 1997/12). It forms the center of the eight paintings that Munch created in Chemnitz in the fall of 1905, see inv. 1997/10. The frame was probably designed by Henry van de Velde.