2-976-011 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Children of the Sea, 1872. This delightful scene contains a moral. These children from a poor fishing village with their shabby clothes and broken toys, are playing out their own future. The oldest boy carries the burden of his family on his shoulders, while the boat represents the harsh life at sea. Jozef Israëls first painted the theme in 1863. It was hugely popular and he often repeated it.