The Morning Greeting

Born in Munich, Franz Schmid-Breitenbach trained at the city's art academy under Alexander Strähuber, who taught American artists as well. Mainly a religious painter, he also painted scenes of daily life and even occult subjects. A firm proponent of exacting technique, he published a treatise on style and composition in painting in 1903.

A mother receives her son's greeting through the window. The interplay of light and shadow in the whitewashed interior contrasts with the bright morning sun outside. Within the room, a spinning wheel, a birdcage, and other items of daily use give insight into the life of the family. Such domestic scenes were especially popular among middle-class patrons in mid- and late nineteenth century Germany.