Miniature Adults? Images of Childhood in Western Art

Presented by Dr Sophie Oosterwijk

Children can be found in art across at least five millennia. The question is whether these pictures are recognisable to us as children. When we look at early child portraits we often see diminutive figures, stiff and often dressed in adult-like clothes: the stereotypical ‘miniature adults’ that confirm our worst fears. Yet what can depictions of children from Antiquity or by artists such as Holbein, Velázquez and Reynolds, really tell us about childhood in the past? Does art present us with reliable historical evidence or should we know how to read each image properly? Recognising the (artistic) conventions behind images of children in art may help to discover more about childhood throughout history, and about social expectations. With insights from this lecture you will probably never look at portrayals of children in quite the same way again.

Dates and Locations

Wednesday 27 August 2025 Toowoomba (QLD)

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