The Christmas Tree

A little girl in a pale blue nightdress holds a doll before a candle-lit Christmas tree. Childhood is the subject, caught with tenderness and a light touch. The picture keeps that freshness long after the moment it shows, which is why it still feels so close today.

Its palette, measured from the canvas, is led by ink, with chocolate and rust in support: a low-lit, warm picture. Those warm tones give it a glow that comes alive in lamplight and deepens as the evening draws in. The tall format leads the eye from top to bottom, so the details reward a second and a third look.

A tall canvas like this one suits a narrow wall: a hallway, the space beside a bookcase or a doorway, or the wall between two windows. Hung for the season, it makes a warm centrepiece for the winter months. Ink and chocolate are easy to echo in cushions, a throw or a painted wall nearby, and it holds its own in a mixed gallery wall.

Julian Alden Weir made the original in 1890; in the collection it is listed under Impressionism. It has the Impressionists’ feeling for a passing moment, with lively brushwork and light that seems to move across the surface. This painting is printed to order on gallery-wrapped canvas in 30 × 40 cm or 40 × 60 cm, from the image you see here. The canvas wraps around its frame, so it arrives ready to hang, with no framing needed. Want yourself in it instead? Add a photo and see your portrait free before you order.