Story of Golden Locks

Seymour Joseph Guy

ca. 1870 · Oil on canvas · The American Wing

While little known today, the English-born Guy was celebrated in his lifetime for his charming and technically accomplished genre paintings of childhood. In this work, the artist depicts his own children reading a version of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." The young girl’s menacing bear-like shadow and the boys’ wide eyes suggest that they have reached the story’s frightening climax. In addition to the didactic message of the fairy tale—warning children not to wander from home—Guy presents his adolescent daughter on the verge of change, turning away from childhood games and assuming a more adult, maternal role.

Artist

Seymour Joseph Guy

Date

ca. 1870

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Daniel Wolf and Mathew Wolf, in memory of their sister, the Honorable Diane R. Wolf, 2013