The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 17, 2025

Vertically-oriented oil painting depicting a woman seated on the ground, head tilted back, eyes and mouth open, a sleeping child nestled in her lap. Both have light skin tones. The woman leans back against a beige building where it transitions to a brown, wood-plank fence, a pile of sticks at her back. A light dusting of snow edges the fence and covers the ground. Thick brushstrokes texture the scene, particularly the child.

Destitute Dead Mother holding her sleeping Child in Winter

c. 1850

Octave Tassaert

(French, 1800–1874)
France, 19th century
oil on canvas
Framed: 33 x 25 cm (13 x 9 13/16 in.)
Gift in memory of Helen Borowitz 2013.257
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Greatly admired by writers and social activists, Octave Tassaert provided illustrations for books by such celebrated authors as Alexandre Dumas père and Victor Hugo.

Description

One of France's leading artists of the mid-19th century, Octave Tassaert was known for his paintings of downtrodden workers, destitute mothers, suicides, and abandoned children. Viewers responded positively to his focus on issues of social injustice, as seen in this painting of a poor mother resting outdoors in the show with her baby. She is leaning against a pile of sticks, a common activity among the poor of gathering and selling small pieces for wood for burning in fireplaces or stoves.
  • Helen and Albert Borowitz, Cleveland, Ohio
  • {{cite web|title=Destitute Dead Mother holding her sleeping Child in Winter|url=false|author=Octave Tassaert|year=c. 1850|access-date=17 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2013.257