Questions to arouse interest. What do you see in this picture? In what room do you think they are? Why do you suppose the picture is called "Two Mothers and Their Families"? How many little chickens are there? What time of the year do you think it is? time of day? What is the little boy doing? How many of you like this picture? why?

The story of the picture. This little boy is having a good time feeding the fluffy little chickens. He has scattered some grain on the floor and the old hen and eight of her chicks are eating as fast as they can.

Two of the old hen's chicks must have wandered away, so that at first they did not hear the mother hen's cluck. Now see how they flutter their wings as they hurry back toward the others!

The old mother hen takes such good care of her little chickens! When it is very cold she will spread out her wings until all the little ones are covered. She keeps them warm and snug. If it rains, and she cannot get them under shelter, she will protect them with her wings in the pouring rain, much as she dislikes it. Every day she must scratch for bugs and worms for them and teach them how to scratch for their own living.

She watches carefully to see that nothing harms them. Sometimes big birds, called chicken hawks, fly over the yard ready to swoop down and carry little chickens away in their claws. Then there are other things to be feared, such as weasels and rats; even cats and dogs might harm her little ones. Is it any wonder the mother hen is anxious, and apt to be cross when we go near her little chicks? It is best to be careful, then, for if she thinks you mean to hurt them she will fly at you and hurt you with her sharp bill.

When the artist, Mrs. Elizabeth Gardner Bouguereau, visited this home and saw the mother and her child watching this old hen and her chickens, it is no wonder she wanted to paint them. She wanted to make us feel the love of the mother hen for her little ones as well as that of the other mother for her children.

The child is delighted, as, safe in his mother's arms, he looks around to see if she is watching, too. There is a little baby sister in the cradle, and that is the reason he keeps very quiet and does not speak. No doubt the mother has rocked the baby to sleep. You can see how the baby is fastened in the cradle so she cannot fall out. That odd-looking top over part of the cradle is placed there to keep the light from the baby's eyes. Just now it is moved a little to one side, and we can see part of the baby's face.

This home probably belongs to a French peasant who goes to his work very early in the morning, or he would be with his family now.

It must be a very hot day in summer, for both mother and child are barefooted and they are dressed for warm weather.

See the pots and pans hanging on the wall under the shelf, and the old kettle hanging over the large open fireplace! The room must be kitchen, bedroom, and dining room all in one; perhaps they have only this one room. There is a basket on the stand, and most likely it is filled with vegetables brought in from the garden for dinner.

What a happy, healthy little boy this is, with his hair in little ringlets all over his head! His half-closed hand makes us think he still has some corn left to scatter on the floor for the chickens.

It seems very strange to see chickens running about in the house. If the mother and child were not dressed so as to keep themselves cool we should think they had let them in because it was too cold for them outside. The mother looks as proud of her small son as the mother hen is of her young family. What a pleasant face she has! The old hen does not feel anxious when she is near, for she knows this other mother is kind and will care for her and her fluffy little chicks. The boy, too, seems to be very careful, and the hen is glad to have the grain scattered by his kind little hand.

There is so much bright light in the picture that we are sure there is an open door near by, though we cannot see it in the picture. It was through this open doorway that the mother hen and her chicks strayed into the house. Probably the artist sat in the doorway as she painted.

Questions to help the pupil understand the picture. What is the little boy doing? What makes you think he has just scattered corn for the chickens? How many chickens have found the grain? What are the other two chickens doing? How does the mother hen care for her chickens? What do you see standing beside the mother and child? Who is sleeping in the cradle? What are the straps for? the shade? Why do you think it must have been a hot day? What hangs under the shelf? What do you see on the shelf? What is on the stand? Why is the old hen not afraid of the mother and child? In what way are the two mothers alike? From which direction does the light seem to come? The story of the artist. We know very little about the artist, Mrs. Elizabeth Gardner Bouguereau, except that she is an American who has spent most of her life in France. She studied in Paris for many years and was a pupil of the great artist Bouguereau, whom she married. Her pictures have been exhibited many times in this country and abroad. Among her best-known works, besides the "Two Mothers and Their Families," are "Cinderella," "Fortune Teller," "Maud Muller," "Cornelia and Her Jewels," and "Corinne." She has also painted a number of portraits. Many of her pictures are of children. She is still living in Paris, France.

Questions about the artist. Who painted this picture? Where was the artist born? Where did she study and whom did she marry? Where do you think she must have been sitting when she painted the picture? Name two of her best-known pictures.