Children in art: A journey through history

Philip I of Castile made his expectations for the painter perfectly clear: His daughters Eleanor and Isabella, positioned to the left and right of his son Charles, were not to appear pale or sickly. Instead, they were to embody vibrant life — rosy-cheeked, dressed in splendid garments, and as beautiful as can be.

The painting, completed in 1502, was then replicated multiple times and sent to other royal courts — a common practice among Europe's ruling houses to present their daughters as highly desirable matches and potential candidates for marriage. 

"When the candidates eventually met, historical accounts suggest that the disappointment was sometimes greater on one side than the other," art historian Katrin Dyballa told DW. After all, the portraits were often highly flattering.

This painting is a prime example of the marriage politics that the Habsburgs — a powerful noble dynasty in Austria— pursued for centuries to expand their power, noted Dyballa. Even in early childhood — the sisters were just four and nearly two years old — the girls were being marketed on the marriage stage.

Dyballa also draws attention to the coats of arms above the children's heads.

"Charles, the future Charles V, has a full coat of arms above him. His sisters' crests, however, have a blank left field—meant to be filled in with the coat of arms of their future husbands."

Boys from noble families were also groomed early for their future roles, and were often depicted in childhood wearing royal guard uniforms or armor like seasoned commanders.

From religions icons to real children

In the Middle Ages, portraits of royal families were relatively rare. Art at the time focused primarily on mythological and religious themes. One child, however, was omnipresent: Jesus, seated on the Virgin Mary's lap. Sometimes with chubby hands and baby fat, sometimes glorified and almost adult-like in appearance.

Children also frequently appeared as angels, with Raphael's cherubs — lounging in the clouds beneath the Sistine Madonna — remaining among the most iconic to this day.

With the dawn of the modern era, art began to shift its focus toward the individual. The affluent bourgeoisie soon began emulating the nobility, commissioning portraits of their children in opulent Baroque style.

Often, they were "dressed in fantasy costumes reminiscent of mythological or historical figures," noted Dyballa. "The idea was to symbolically transfer the virtues of these figures onto the children"—such as the purity and chastity of the huntress Diana, or the beauty of Adonis.

From ridicule to role model: The peasant child

For a long time, only the elites could afford to commission portraits, meaning there was little  interest in them among the broader working population. 

This was also because childhood ended earlier, children having started work at a much younger age than today.

"Children were involved in household routines from an early age," said historian Claudia Jarzebowski. "They had to gather berries, herd geese, and were often no older than 10 or 11 when they were hired out as farmhands or maids."

From the perspective of the upper classes, peasants and their children were considered clumsy and dim-witted — and were depicted accordingly in paintings. 

But in the 17th century, this perception shifted: "Peasants came to be seen as models of humility and piety, precisely because of the modest conditions in which they lived," Jarzebowski told DW.

And so, from the 17th century onward, depictions of peasant children were also deemed worthy of artistic representation.

Beggar children as a popular motif

Spanish Baroque painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, known primarily for his depictions of saints and Madonnas, eventually began painting oversized portraits of street children — using a format typically reserved for scenes from antiquity, the Bible, or wealthy families.

His goal was to evoke compassion and encourage the wealthy to engage in charitable acts, Dyballa explained.

Other artists soon followed his lead, especially in England, where such images became highly popular. But there was one important condition: "These were street children with dirty feet and tattered clothes, but their faces and bodies had to be depicted beautifully," noted Dyballa.

Wealthy patrons would only hang such paintings in their homes "if the children didn't appear abused or crippled."

The invention of 'modern childhood'

In the mid-20th century, French sociologist Philippe Ariès proposed the theory that childhood as a distinct phase of life didn't exist before the 18th century. Children, he argued, were treated like miniature adults from a very young age, and due to high infant mortality, emotional bonds with them were weak.

Not true, says Katrin Dyballa. "There was a childhood phase even in the Middle Ages and the 16th century, but the transition to adulthood came earlier — responsibility began sooner," she explained.

The idea of weak emotional attachment has also been debunked. Historical records show that parents would secretly bury unbaptized infants under church steps or in the chancel, since they weren't allowed to be buried in cemeteries. Holy ground offered at least a chance of reaching heaven, explains historian Claudia Jarzebowski — something that, according to Christian belief at the time, was reserved for baptized children.

There were also portraits of children on their deathbeds, as well as references to classical antiquity.

Sometimes the deceased child was depicted as Ganymede, the boy who, according to myth, was abducted by Zeus disguised as an eagle and taken to Mount Olympus—because Zeus was so captivated by him.

Even in antiquity, busts and reliefs reflect the closeness between parents and their offspring. But the modern concept of childhood—free and unburdened—only emerged in the bourgeois societies of the 18th and 19th centuries, Jarzebowski clarifies. These were the social classes that could afford not to involve their children in labor. Increasingly, painters captured children lost in play or frolicking, and proud parents adorned their living rooms with these joyful images.

How photography changed the picture

With the advent of photography, new possibilities emerged, and by the late 19th century family photo albums reveal stiffly posed children in their Sunday best, or great-grandparents as babies, were becoming increasingly common. 

In the decades that followed, photography became an affordable pastime for the general public, and children were captured in all sorts of poses and life stages.

"You no longer needed to commission a painter or sculptor, you simply picked up a camera yourself," saidd Dyballa. "The portrayal of children became far more spontaneous and moment-driven."

Until the smartphone era, such images were typically shared only within the family circle. But mobile phones ushered in a new age. Parents now casually post countless photos of their children online; with devastating consequences if these images fall into the hands of pedophiles.

"For centuries, children had no say in how they were portrayed," Dyballa notes.

Today, however, modern societies have established conventions that protect the right to one's own image. "And more and more often, parents hear: 'You can't just post that photo of me on Facebook,'" says Claudia Jarzebowski. "I believe young people have become much more aware of this."

More on the portrayal of children across different eras will be explored in the exhibition, "Kids! Between Representation and Reality," opening 28 November at the Bucerius Kunst Forum in Hamburg.

This article was originally written in German.