First Steps
ca. 1820–25
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
18 3/4 x 14 3/4 in. (47.6 x 37.4 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Whitney Collection, Gift of Wheelock Whitney III, and Purchase, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. McVeigh, by exchange, 2003
Accession Number
2003.42.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
**First Steps** by Franz Ludwigel, created around 1820–25, captures a tender domestic moment in oil on canvas, a medium prized in the early 19th century for luminous depth and ability to render subtle textures. Measuring just 18¾ × 14¾ inches, this intimate painting invites viewers close, evoking the warmth of life during the post-Napoleonic era in Europe. Now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Paintings collection it reflects the growing Romantic interest in everyday joys amid broader social changes. The scene likely centers on an infant's momentous "first steps," surrounded by wat...