Millet offers an intimate moment between a mother and daughter. The mother rests her chin gently upon the girl’s head, as she carefully guides her daughter’s hands around the knitting needles. Millet possibly used his own family as models for this scene. He and his wife, Catherine Lemaire, had six daughters who would have learned needlework from a young age.
Diffused light from the window draws our attention to small, domestic details like the folded linens, basket of yarn, and scissors dropped at their feet. The light also gives the figures soft contours and a solid, three-dimensional presence.

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