The Poor Officer's Widow – Works – Sammlung Online

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The image depicts a woman sitting in an attic room. She holds a baby in her arms and appears to be wrapping it in something. Her expression is gentle and focused. Next to her, there is another child sleeping. In the background, a window allows light to stream in, and on a table, various everyday items such as jars, dishes, and fabrics are visible. The room has a cozy, almost intimate atmosphere.

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Oberes Belvedere
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The Poor Officer's Widow
Date1836

Artist Peter Fendi (1796 Wien – 1842 Wien)

ULAN

Object typePainting
MediumOil on wood
Dimensions
30 × 37 cm
SignatureSign. und dat. unten rechts: Fendi. / 1836.
Inventory number2272
Location Upper Belvedere
Peter Fendi’s painting shows an officer’s widow in a sparse attic room. A sack of straw serves as a bed. Her baby lies on her fallen husband’s uniform while a second child sleeps alongside. A portrait miniature and a letter can be detected as keepsakes of a loved one. The mother is busy sewing—perhaps clothes for the children, perhaps to earn money. As a special marriage bond had to be posted when an officer wed, the official view was that widows were provided for and consequently they were not entitled to any additional pension. However, payments from this bond were usually very low and military widows often faced poverty as a result.

Provenance
Exhibitions

Ab 1837 Rudolf von Arthaber
1922 Ankauf Gustav von Arthaber, Wien, unter Mitwirkung des Österreichischen Staatsgalerievereins, Wien

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