Perine, George E. "The Dream of Hope"

George E. Perine. "The Dream of Hope."

New York: George E. Perine, ca. 1870. 17 1/8 x 13.  Lithograph by J.L. Giles & Co. Soft nearly horizontal crease just above midpoint; light smudges in margins.  Else very good condition.

A charming and sentimental scene of a mother and baby keeping vigil for a husband and father missing at sea. A lighted candle at the window, and food on the table are clues to the expectation and hope that he will be return soon, but the dozing mother and baby indicate that the wait has gone on longer than a routine homecoming.

This hopeful, yet slightly melancholy depiction of the unpredictable quality of everyday life reminds us that uncertainties are present daily, no matter how much we try to push them from our conscious thoughts.