Sea Shell
Amy Lowell, 1912
Sea Shell, Sea Shell,
Sing me a song, O Please!
A song of ships and sailor men,
And parrots and tropical trees,
Of islands lost in the Spanish Main
Which no man ever may find again,
Of fishes and corals under the waves,
And seahorses stabled in great green caves.
Sea Shell, Sea Shell,
Sings of the things you know so well.
Gorgeous painting! I love the mother’s face! So elegant and yet realisitic! Beautiful! The little girl’s eyes are adorable too! I also admire the wrinkles in the mother’s dress as she kneels!
This is one of my favorite paintings by Bouguereau. It seemed to me an even more fitting illustration for Lowell’s poem than a seaside scene, as the shell’s lore is more mysterious, and the child’s pleading more urgent, in this Victorian drawing room.
You can anticipate seeing more of Bouguereau’s artwork in future posts.