Anna Leafing Through a Portfolio of Prints, Laura Theresa Alma Tadema (Lady), 1874
Anna, the painter’s seven-year-old stepdaughter, holds up a print with both hands. She has to peer around the sheet; that is how large it is, or conversely just how small Anna is. The Alma Tadema family filled their house with portraits of themselves. Possibly this small painting was among them. It affords the viewer an intimate glimpse into the child’s world while simultaneously demonstrating a fondness for graphic art.