Artwork from the Church History Museum collection that was displayed in the Portraits of Childhood exhibit from December 2012 to October 2013.

Here, June Rose Harwood is depicted as an older child than when we saw her in her mother’s arms as a baby (nearby in this gallery). Her beautiful white dress and dainty shoes convey a ladylike sense of refinement and poise. She is certainly a picture of innocence and purity. These qualities surely reflect the priorities of her parents in teaching her as she grows. Where do you think she is going, dressed up so nicely? President Brigham Young taught, “If we surround a child with healthy and salutary influences, give him suitable instructions and store his mind with truthful traditions, may be that will direct his feet in the way of life.”

1907 
Oil on canvas

James Taylor Harwood

June Rose Harwood in White Silk Dress

The dark background and the somber colors of the mother’s clothing highlight the precious baby daughter, dressed in a white gown. Look at her little hand, gently placed on her mother’s larger hand. It is not difficult to imagine how secure and safe this baby girl, June Rose Harwood, feels in her loving parent’s arms. The artist who tenderly captured this portrait was James T. Harwood, Harriet’s husband and June’s father. President Brigham Young declared: “We see the infant in its mother’s arms. What is this infant here for? . . . To grow and expand into manhood [or womanhood], then to the capacity of an angel, and so onward to eternal exaltation.”

Oil on canvas

Portrait Of Harriet Richards Harwood And Daughter June

Little Joseph Woodruff was the first child born to Wilford and Phoebe Carter Woodruff after they were sealed in the Nauvoo Temple. This portrait of the child dressed in heavenly white became especially meaningful to his mother, Phoebe, after her son died at Winter Quarters a year after he was born. Occasionally she took this painting out of its box to remind her of this sweet baby boy. Members of the Church wear white when they are baptized and when they perform other sacred ordinances. What meanings does the color white have when used as a symbol?

1845 
Oil on canvas

Thomas Ward

Phoebe Carter Woodruff and Child Joseph

This painting is of Brigham Young’s family, but it is easy to overlook the children as we focus on the prophet and his wife. Try looking more closely at what the children are doing. The two children behind the piano are twins, Brigham and Mary Ann. Mary Ann died before this work was painted in Nauvoo; however, she was still a member of the family and was included in the family portrait, with her brother giving her a white rose. President Young taught, “Kind looks, kind actions, kind words, and a lovely, holy deportment towards them will bind our children to us with bands that cannot easily be broken.”

Circa 1845–51 
Oil on board

William Warner Major

Brigham and Mary Ann Angell Young and their Children

This exhibition contains three paintings of June Rose Harwood created by her father, James T. Harwood, the first Utah artist to study art in Paris. As a busy artist, Harwood had many people and places to paint, but the sincerity with which he addressed his young subject suggests that he followed the counsel of President John Taylor, who declared that children “are of more importance to you than many things that you give your attention to.” Take a close look at June’s portrait and see what aspects of her personality and physical appearance her father chose to highlight in this painting, which June later donated to the museum.

Portrait of June Rose Harwood with a Lace Collar

Such an unpleasant look from such a tiny mommy! Perhaps she recog­nizes the importance of her grown-up task and is unhappy about being bothered and distracted from her work. Surely she is beginning to be taught by her mother the importance of keeping herself and her home clean, as the broom and dustpan in the corner attest. And who is looking on, waiting for her to finish and have time for play? This little worker is beginning to learn the important truth taught by a familiar Primary song: “When we’re helping, we’re happy, and we sing as we go; / And we like to help mother, for we all love her so.”

George Nelsen Ottinger

Bathtime

The showy red outfit might suggest that this is a painting of a young girl. But clothing styles have changed over the years, and this might well be a painting of a young boy, who is dressed and coifed in a specific period style. In earlier times, young boys often wore dresses until they were old enough to wear short or long trousers. Take a look at photographs of your parents and grandparents as children, and notice how much clothing and hairstyles have changed over the years. But many things have not changed. Look at the objects in the painting and see if you can find evidence that boys in the past enjoyed the same pastimes as boys today.

George Martin Ottinger

Child in Red

Having a portrait painted takes a great deal of time. Can you imagine this young fellow’s eagerness to be finished with standing still for his portrait so he can head off to play? While the identity of the boy is unknown, the artist, Lorus Pratt, was the father of six children and may have enlisted one of his young sons to serve as the model. If this is a portrait of the artist’s son, how do you think Mr. Pratt convinced him to get dressed up, comb his hair, position the tricycle for painting, and then stand still? Why is it important for us to take time to record, through photographs or other means, the fleeting moments of our children’s lives?

1895 
Oil on canvas

Lorus Pratt

Portrait of a Young Boy

The original painting of this work— Bubbles, a Child’s World, by Sir John Everett Millais—became famous in Europe partly because it was used in an advertising campaign for Pears Soap. Throughout history, artists have shown children with symbols of the fleeting nature of childhood. This artist has shown this precious boy with bubbles, which, although beautiful, burst almost as soon as they are created. Why do you think it is important to remember how briefly our children remain young? The model for Millais’s painting was his five-year-old grandson William Milbourne James, who grew up to become an admiral in the British navy.

1886 
Oil on canvas

Ida Halkin Biboles (after John Everett Millais, 1896)

Boy Blowing Bubbles

While looking at this sweet baby’s face, it is fascinating to contemplate what the future would hold for him. This precious little one was born in 1876 and would become the tenth President of the Church—Joseph Fielding Smith. His father, Joseph F. Smith, who served as the sixth President of the Church, taught the importance of loving our children: “If you can only convince your children that you love them, . . . that you are their truest friend, they, in turn, will place confidence in you and will love you and seek to do your bidding.” Doesn’t the tenderness of this portrait suggest that this child was dearly loved long before anyone knew he would become a prophet?

Unknown Artist

Joseph Fielding Smith

What on earth could have caused this lad to scowl while having his portrait painted? He looks quite dapper in his checkered outfit and carefully combed hair, but something may have upset him. Notice that some of his favorite belongings are placed throughout the scene—a riding crop, a paddle, and a ball. The wagon full of flowers, scenic landscape, and trailing ivy suggest a beautiful outdoor location. The beauty of the day may be the problem—he’d rather be playing. As you think about recording a child’s life through photography or some other art form, think about including some of the child’s favorite belongings or places. What would be the value of including a treasured toy or a favorite corner of the house in a child’s portrait?

1870 
Oil on canvas

Boy with Toys

A patch of ice, some old skates, and a pair of woolen mittens—it doesn’t take a lot for children to make a fun adventure out of a cold winter day. Notice how their joyous spins and swirls contrast with the bleak, wintry sky and the leafless trees. Play a game of your own by looking closely for the facial expressions, clothing details, skating poses, and activities represented here. Children seem more able than adults to find joy in the ordinary happenings of life, seeming to understand instinctively the meaning of Lehi’s admonition: “Men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25).

1897 
Oil on canvas

Danquart Anthon Weggeland

Skating Pond

Amid somber mourners taking flowers to a cemetery, the small child at left provides visual and emotional relief in this painting. Her rapt attention is on the bundle of posies in her hand, and her clothing suggests she is not part of the group passing by. Perhaps she is the flower girl providing remembrances for those visiting departed loved ones. President Boyd K. Packer tenderly taught children about death, using his hand inside a glove to represent a spirit inside a body: “When I separate them, the glove . . . is taken away from your spirit; it cannot move anymore. It just falls down and is dead. But your spirit is still alive.”

1895 
Oil on board

Jack Sears

Bringing Flowers to a Cemetery

Although there is a lot going on in this painting, as adults bale hay and perform household chores, the little girl and her dog grab our attention. Is she heading down the path to help with a delivery of some kind, leaving her trusted companion behind? To have her picture painted, this young girl wore a hat that was a reminder of her family’s Danish heritage, even though her family was then living in Provo, Utah. Her family surely felt it important to maintain the traditions of their heritage. Think about some traditions that you learned as a child from your family. What is the value of passing on these traditions to the children in your family?

1912 
Oil on masonite

Bishop P. Madsen's Residence in Provo, 1883

This family is being taught by one of the first Latter-day Saint missionaries in Denmark. You can tell that the adults are interested, but can you find the tiniest observer? Notice that a young girl sits listening attentively beside a man who may be her father, while another young girl has left her work to listen by the door. The scriptures give accounts of children listening to Jesus, as these young ones are doing by hearing His representatives. After listening to the Savior teach, Book of Mormon children bore sacred testimony, “yea, even babes did open their mouths and utter marvelous things” (3 Nephi 26:16).

1964 
Oil on canvas

Arnold Friberg (after Christen Dalsgaard, 1856)

Mormon Preachers, First Missionaries in Denmark

Primroses are one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring. They grow especially well in shady, wooded areas, as depicted here. Why do you think the children are gathering the flowers? Although primroses can be eaten, they, like most flowers, are most often used simply to beautify our world. As you look at this painting, ask yourself what you would do with a basket of primroses. The Lord declared that He created the good things of the earth “to please the eye and to gladden the heart; yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul” (D&amp;C 59:18–19).

Oil on tin panel

Primrose Gatherers

At first glance, the focus of this painting is on two women gathering sheaves of wheat in a light-dappled field. But if you look more closely, you will see four children working and playing alongside them. A sweet baby sits on the ground near the cart, bonneted against the sunlight coming through the clouds. The toddler grasping the cart handles looks as ready for play as for serious work, while the two older children bundle and carry beside the women. These children are being taught by parents and other adults the importance of President David O. McKay’s admonition: “Learn to like your work. Learn to say ‘This is my work, my glory, not my doom.’ ”

1890 
Oil on canvas

Gleaners

This study for a mural portrays loving family relationships and childhood teaching moments against a scenic backdrop of great majesty. What do you think the artist, J. Leo Fairbanks, wanted to suggest about the relationship between parents and children by putting these parents and their tiny child, dressed in white, in such a setting? Does the artistic choice of backdrop help the viewer focus on the monumental and joyous opportunity of raising children in beauty, light, and truth? President Joseph F. Smith taught, “[Children] are not a source of weakness and poverty to family life, for they bring with them certain divine blessings that make for the prosperity of the home and the nation.”

Portraits of Childhood