Marie Krafft
Two little Girls (copy after Thomas Lawrence [1769 Bristol – 1830 London])

1830
Belvedere, Vienna, 6682

Marie Krafft’s painting is a copy of a late work of Thomas Lawrence, The Calmady Children. It looks almost like a snapshot, but this supreme rendering of the endearing charm of children lay in the thorough planning of the artist, who spent much time playing with sisters Anne and Emily and reading to them.
The choice of the tondo format necessitates a condensed rendering, at the same time emphasising the sisters’ intimacy. Following the work’s exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1824 and in Paris in 1825, graphic reproductions of the painting spread like wildfire. The picture’s popularity culminated in its reproduction on biscuit tins and chocolate boxes. Krafft’s execution of the “adorable best seller” differs mainly in colouration and format. Her version reduces the original format by more than half, and is designated as a painting after Lawrence.