Gifts for grandparents: 12 family portraits after the masters

Grandchildren painted like Velázquez’s little prince, a Christmas arrival in the snow, the family home as a Victorian watercolour: twelve masterworks behind Fable’s portrait styles, made into gifts for grandparents.

Grandparents have the most photographs and the least wall space for ones that matter. What they love most is the grandchildren, the whole family together, and the house where everyone gathers.

Each of the twelve masterworks below is the starting point of one of Fable’s portrait styles. Send a photo of the grandchildren, the family or the house, and see a free preview in that style, or order the original painting as a print.

1. Grandmamma's Christmas Visitors

A carriage arrives in a snowy village; a young woman in a fur-trimmed coat steps down as children look out.

George Adolphus Storey, Grandmamma's Christmas Visitors, 1873. Oil on canvas. Sheffield Museums.

George Adolphus Storey painted the arrival every grandmother waits for: the carriage in the snow and the children at the window. The style built from it paints your family arriving for Christmas.

Best photo: the family outdoors in winter coats, everyone visible.

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2. An Old Woman with Cat

An older woman sits against a brick wall with a dark cat in her lap, looking down at it.

Max Liebermann, An Old Woman with Cat, 1878. Oil on canvas. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

Max Liebermann painted this woman and her cat in 1878, a portrait of age and calm companionship. It is one of the most gentle pictures of an older woman in German art.

Best photo: grandma seated with her cat on her lap.

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3. Prince Felipe Próspero

A small child in a white dress with red and silver stands in a dark room beside a small dog on a chair.

Diego Velázquez, Prince Felipe Próspero, 1659. Oil on canvas. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

Velázquez painted the little Spanish prince Felipe Próspero in 1659 with his small dog curled on a chair. It is one of the greatest portraits of a child ever made.

Best photo: a toddler standing, with the family dog close by.

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4. Miss Beatrice Townsend

A young girl in a white dress holds a shaggy terrier in her arms against a warm brown background.

John Singer Sargent, Miss Beatrice Townsend, 1882. Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington.

Sargent painted Beatrice Townsend in 1882 holding her terrier, a portrait full of quiet confidence. A grandchild with a puppy in their arms looks wonderful in this style.

Best photo: a child holding a small dog, both facing the camera.

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5. Young girl with a dog

A young child in a white smock and bonnet kneels on a chair, hugging a small black dog.

Jean-Baptiste Greuze, Young girl with a dog, 1767. Oil on canvas.

Greuze was the painter of childhood in eighteenth century France. His little girl hugging a black dog is pure sweetness, and it works with any small child and a pet.

Best photo: a small child hugging a pet, close up.

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6. Boy with a Greyhound

A young nobleman in a gold-striped doublet and ruff stands beside a greyhound.

Paolo Veronese, Boy with a Greyhound, possibly 1570s. Oil on canvas. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Veronese painted this young Venetian nobleman beside his greyhound, both of them slim, elegant and proud. A grandson with the family dog fits it perfectly.

Best photo: a boy standing beside a tall dog.

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7. A Boy with a Cat—Morning

A barefoot boy stands at the edge of a dark wood with a cat, one hand on his head.

Thomas Gainsborough, A Boy with a Cat—Morning, 1787. Oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

One of Gainsborough’s last paintings, from 1787: a country boy at the edge of a wood in the morning light, with his cat. It is relaxed and unposed, like a good family snapshot.

Best photo: a child outdoors with the family cat.

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8. Christmas Eve

A small child in a white nightgown sits on the floor by candlelight, gesturing toward a tiny decorated tree.

Friedrich Dürck, Christmas Eve, before 1884. Oil on canvas.

Friedrich Dürck painted a child alone on Christmas Eve with a candle and a tiny tree. It is the essence of a child’s Christmas wonder.

Best photo: the youngest grandchild in pyjamas by the Christmas tree.

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9. A Christmas Carol in Lucerne

Carol singers and musicians perform in front of a snowy alpine chalet while neighbours watch from a porch.

Hans Bachmann, A Christmas Carol in Lucerne, 1887. Oil on canvas.

Hans Bachmann painted carol singers outside a snowy Swiss chalet, the whole village joining in. The style suits a large family gathering at Christmas.

Best photo: a big family group outside in winter.

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10. Christmas Party

A snowy Norwegian farmhouse at night with golden windows, sleighs and a waiting horse in front.

Lars Jorde, Christmas Party, 1895–96. Oil on canvas. Nasjonalmuseet, Oslo.

Lars Jorde painted a farmhouse on a winter night, every window golden with the party inside and sleighs waiting in the snow. It is a portrait of the house everyone comes home to.

Best photo: the grandparents’ house in winter, at dusk if possible.

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11. Glade jul (Happy Christmas)

A family holds hands and circles a candle-lit Christmas tree in a warm room.

Viggo Johansen, Glade jul (Happy Christmas), 1891. Oil on canvas.

Viggo Johansen painted his own family dancing round the tree in Copenhagen in 1891. In Denmark this circling of the tree is still a Christmas Eve tradition.

Order it as a print for grandparents who love Nordic Christmas.

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12. Old Cottages at Pinner

A path through a meadow of yellow flowers leads to an old thatched cottage among trees.

Helen Allingham, Old Cottages at Pinner, 1890. Watercolour. Birmingham Museums Trust.

Helen Allingham painted English cottages in watercolour, gardens in full bloom. The style built from it paints the grandparents’ house as lovingly as she painted hers.

Best photo: their house from the garden or the road, in summer.

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For grandparents, the best gift is the one with the most people in it. Pick the photo with everyone smiling, choose a masterwork that suits it, and see the free preview before you order.

Questions

What is a good Christmas gift for grandparents?

A portrait of the grandchildren, or of the whole family, made from a photo. It is the gift grandparents show to every visitor.

Can I make a portrait of the grandchildren with the family pet?

Yes. Styles such as Sargent’s Miss Beatrice Townsend, Greuze’s Young Girl with a Dog or Veronese’s Boy with a Greyhound are made for a child with a pet.

Can I have the grandparents’ house painted?

Yes. Fable’s home styles, such as Old Cottages at Pinner, paint a house from a photo in the manner of a masterwork.