A 1925 expressionist etching by Walter Gramatté, depicting a mother and child in a psychologically charged, distorted domestic interior.

This etching by Walter Gramatté, dated 1925, belongs to a series of works that explore the psychological tension and subjective reality characteristic of German Expressionism. The composition depicts a woman, Mary, seated with a sleeping child in her arms. She faces a mirror, which reflects a figure identified as the drum major. The artist employs a raw, gestural line quality to convey a sense of unease and domestic instability. The space is distorted, with the mirror acting as a portal for the intrusion of an external, perhaps spectral, presence.

Gramatté was a significant figure in the post-First World War art scene in Berlin and Hamburg. His work often deals with themes of illness, mortality, and the fragility of human relationships. The heavy, dark lines and the textured, almost abrasive quality of the etching plate contribute to the unsettling atmosphere of the scene. The figure of the drum major, appearing as a transfigured reflection, suggests a narrative of obsession or memory that disrupts the quietude of the mother and child. The stark contrast between the foreground figures and the background environment emphasises the isolation of the subjects within their own psychological space.

Technically, the print demonstrates Gramatté's mastery of the etching medium. He uses varied line weights and cross-hatching to build form and shadow, creating a sense of depth that feels claustrophobic rather than expansive. The work is signed and dated by the artist in the lower margin. This piece offers a glimpse into the darker, more introspective side of the Weimar-era avant-garde, where the boundaries between the physical world and the internal life of the individual are frequently blurred. It is a compelling example of how printmaking was used to articulate the anxieties of the period.