Child in a Crib

Art Historical Context

"Child in a Crib" captures a tender domestic moment through the skilled hand Lorenz Frølich (1835–1903). This intimate drawing portrays a young child nestled in a crib alongside dolls, evoking the quiet world of childhood play and comfort. The tags highlighting children and dolls underscore the artwork’s focus on innocence and everyday family life during the nineteenth century. Created with pen and dark brown and reddish-brown ink, accented by gray wash over a graphite underdrawing, the piece demonstrates Frølich’s mastery of delicate line work and subtle tonal shading. These layered techniques allow for soft textures and gentle contrasts that bring warmth and depth to the small scene, measuring just 7 3/16 by 4 3/4 inches. Such media were favored for preparatory studies and finished drawings alike, offering both precision and expressive fluidity. Now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Drawings and Prints, this work was generously gifted by Lincoln Kirstein in 1966. It offers viewers a charming glimpse into the artist’s sensitive observation of children and the quiet significance of simple, personal moments.

About the Artist

Lorenz Frølich · 1820–1908

**Lorenz Frølich (1820–1908) was a Danish painter, illustrator, graphic artist, and etcher whose career bridged traditional academic training with a celebrated international reputation for book illustration.** Born into a wealthy bourgeois family in Copenhagen on 25 October 1820, he showed an early talent for drawing. He received private instruction from Martinus Rørbye starting in 1833, and later...