The Little Knitters - Painting by Swiss artist - Albert Anker (1831-1910)
The little girl is knitting on double pointed needles and it appears to be a sock that she is knitting.
If you look carefully, you can even see the detail of the purl side of the knitting. (and she holds her yarn like I do)
The artist must have known something about knitting when he painted this - someone in his life must have been a knitter. I wouldn't have thought to put a project like this in the hands of this small child. That is most intriguing to me. The child sitting next to the girl is serving as a "yarn guide" - while patiently watching the yarn turn into knitted fabric.
The painter had six children, two died very young . The four that lived sometimes posed for his paintings. I tried to research if the two children in "The Little Knitters" were actually children of Albert Anker, but was unable to find that information. I did learn that Albert Anker's father, a veterinarian, had to be convinced to accept his son's desire to seek an artistic career.
So that is my art history lesson (of sorts) for today.
Have a great day!
