Christmas gifts for mom: 12 portraits and prints she will keep

A portrait of her with the dog, her garden in bloom, her house painted like a Carl Larsson watercolour: twelve masterworks behind Fable’s portrait styles, each a Christmas gift with her at its heart.

The hardest person to buy for is often the one who gave you everything. She does not need another candle. What she will keep is something that is about her: her face, the dog that follows her round the house, the flowers she grows, the home she made.

Each of the twelve masterworks below is the starting point of one of Fable’s portrait styles. Send a photo and see a free preview of her in that style, or order the original as a print. For each one we say which photo works best, so you can find the right picture on your phone tonight.

1. A Woman with a Dog

A woman in pearls and a ruffled collar holds a fluffy white dog with a blue ribbon.

Jean-Honoré Fragonard, A Woman with a Dog, 1769. Oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Fragonard painted this lady and her little white dog in 1769 with quick, feathery strokes, all pink cheeks and pearls. It is one of the most charming portraits of a woman and her pet in the Met.

Best photo: mom holding a small dog close to her face, both looking toward the camera.

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2. Lady with her Cat

A woman in a white gown and blue shawl sits beside a cat on a table, looking softly outward.

Marguerite Gérard, Lady with her Cat, 1837. Oil on canvas.

Marguerite Gérard was one of the few women to build a career as a painter in revolutionary France, and her portraits are full of quiet domestic grace. A woman in white and blue sits with her cat beside her.

Best photo: mom sitting with the cat beside her, in soft daylight.

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3. Woman with a Cat

A young woman in a lace bonnet cradles a fluffy white and grey cat.

Gustave Courbet, Woman with a Cat, 1864. Oil on canvas. Worcester Art Museum.

Courbet is known for big, bold realism, but this portrait of a woman cradling her cat is tender and warm. The lace bonnet and the soft fur make it glow.

Best photo: mom holding the cat in her arms, close up.

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4. Lady Hamilton as 'Nature'

A young woman with loose brown hair holds a small brown and white spaniel against her chest.

George Romney, Lady Hamilton as 'Nature', 1782. Oil on canvas.

George Romney painted Emma Hart, later Lady Hamilton, dozens of times. This is the most natural of them: loose hair, rosy cheeks and a little spaniel held close.

Best photo: mom with a small dog held against her chest, hair loose.

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5. The Artist's Wife and His Setter Dog

A woman in a pale blue dress sits in a high-backed chair with a book in her lap; a red setter lies at her feet.

Thomas Eakins, The Artist's Wife and His Setter Dog, 1884. Oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Thomas Eakins painted his wife, Susan Macdowell Eakins, herself a gifted painter, with a book in her lap and their setter Harry lying at her feet. It is an honest, loving portrait of a real woman.

Best photo: mom in her favourite chair, with the dog on the floor nearby.

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6. Summer Evening at Skagen

A woman in a white dress stands on a beach at blue dusk with a brown dog beside her.

Peder Severin Krøyer, Summer Evening at Skagen, 1892. Oil on canvas. Skagens Museum.

Krøyer painted his wife Marie walking on the beach at Skagen on a blue summer evening, their dog at her side. It is one of the best loved pictures of the Skagen painters and a symbol of Nordic summer.

Best photo: mom walking the dog on a beach or by water, seen from the side.

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7. Girl with a White Shawl and a Cat

A young woman with auburn hair in a white shawl holds a sleeping brown and white cat on her lap.

Charles Joshua Chaplin, Girl with a White Shawl and a Cat, 1891. Oil on canvas.

Charles Chaplin, a French painter of soft, pearly portraits, wrapped his sitter in a white shawl and gave her a sleeping cat. It is gentle, light and very flattering.

Best photo: mom relaxed on the sofa with the cat asleep on her lap.

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8. Julie Manet

A young girl in a dark dress sits holding a sleeping calico cat in her arms.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Julie Manet, 1887. Oil on canvas. Musée d'Orsay, Paris.

Renoir painted Julie, the daughter of Berthe Morisot and niece of Édouard Manet, in 1887 with her cat. It is one of the gentlest portraits of Impressionism.

A lovely way to give mom a portrait of her daughter, or of herself as a girl, from an old photo.

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9. Sophie Guillemette, Grand Duchess of Baden (1801-1865)

Sophie, Grand Duchess of Baden, in a lace gown, looks softly toward the viewer.

Franz Xaver Winterhalter, Sophie Guillemette, Grand Duchess of Baden (1801-1865), 1831. Oil on fabric. Cleveland Museum of Art.

Franz Xaver Winterhalter became the portrait painter of Europe’s royal families, and this early portrait of the Grand Duchess of Baden shows why: soft light, beautiful lace and a face full of quiet intelligence.

Best photo: a head and shoulders portrait of mom, looking calm and composed.

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10. A Christmas Carol

A woman with auburn hair in a gold and crimson robe plays a gilded stringed instrument with holly on its neck.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti, A Christmas Carol, 1867. Watercolour and gouache.

Rossetti painted A Christmas Carol in 1867: a woman in gold and crimson playing a lute decorated with holly. It is the most glamorous Christmas portrait we know.

Best photo: mom in close up, head slightly tilted; perfect for a Christmas card.

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11. Spring Bouquet

A loose bouquet of pansies, narcissus and primroses in an earthenware vase.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Spring Bouquet, 1866. Oil on canvas. Harvard Art Museums.

Not every portrait needs a face. Renoir’s early Spring Bouquet is a simple handful of garden flowers in a jug, and the style built from it paints flowers from your own photo.

Best photo: a bunch of flowers from her garden, or from her wedding bouquet.

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12. The Cottage (Stugan). From A Home

A red timbered Swedish cottage with a white chimney, surrounded by a lush summer garden.

Carl Larsson, The Cottage (Stugan). From A Home, 1899. Watercolour. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm.

Carl Larsson painted the family cottage at Sundborn in watercolour for his book A Home. The style made from it paints her house the same way, garden and all.

Best photo: her house from the garden on a sunny day, with plenty of green around it.

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Create your portrait in this style

Order by mid December for printed portraits to arrive before Christmas, or choose the digital portrait, which arrives as soon as it is ready and can be printed later. Either way, the preview is free, so you can try two or three styles before you choose.

Questions

What is a good personalised Christmas gift for mom?

A portrait of her made from a photo, ideally with her pet, her children or her home. It feels personal in a way a bought object never does, and it hangs on the wall for years.

Which photo should I use?

A clear, well lit photo where her face is easy to see and not too small in the frame. For a portrait with her pet, choose one where both are close together.

Can I give the portrait as a surprise?

Yes. You make the preview yourself from a photo, so she never needs to know until she opens it.