(Bernau in the Black Forest 1839–1924 Karlsruhe)
Portrait of the two Haag daughters, monogrammed, (in ligature) dated H. T. 1883,
oil on paper on canvas, 124 x 84 cm, framed, (Rei)

Catalogued and illustrated in:
Henry Thode, Thoma. Des Meisters Gemälde in 874 Abbildungen, published in the series Klassiker der Kunst in Gesamtausgaben, 15 vols, Stuttgart and Leipzig 1909, p. 214

Hans Thoma’s tutors at the Karlsruhe Academy included Hans Canon and Johann Wilhelm Schirmer. Thoma attended the Academy in Düsseldorf from 1866 onwards, where he got to know Otto Scholderer. He travelled to Paris with Scholderer in 1868, and during his time there he met Gustave Courbet. This meeting had a substantial impact on his work after his return. After spending a period of time in Munich, Thoma moved to Frankfurt where he was able to establish a significant grouping of friends and acquaintances to support him as an artist. These supporters and friends included Philipp Haag, who had Thoma paint his two daughters, as shown in this portrait. Thoma liked to depict his subjects without excessive pathos, in a realistic and true-to-life manner. The clear features and precise details in the clothing of the sitters were forward-looking for the painting of this time. His work was also very highly appreciated by his contemporaries. Thoma enjoyed a good reputation, which led to him being appointed a Professor at the Karlsruhe Academy of Fine Arts, and his work was even exhibited during his lifetime. Thoma’s landscapes and portraits of friends and acquaintances still have the power to captivate today as a result of their true-to-nature, candid way of depicting the subject.