A Young Mother

Bessie Potter Vonnoh

1896, cast ca. 1906 · Bronze · The American Wing

In "A Young Mother," Vonnoh synthesized impressionistic handling of form and realistic emotion to produce one of the most sensitive studies of the mother-and-child theme in American sculpture. With the instant success of this piece, the sculptor’s name became synonymous with representations of modern motherhood in which an intimate psychological mood takes precedence over close physical description. Vonnoh estimated that thirty bronze casts were made of "A Young Mother," making it her most popular statuette.

Artist

Bessie Potter Vonnoh

Date

1896, cast ca. 1906

Medium

Bronze

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1906