Ivan Aivazovsky with his family

The photograph shows the marine painter Ivan Aivazovsky with his wife, Julia Graves, and their daughters.

There are 6 people in the picture. Aivazovsky and his wife are seated, 3 young women stand behind them, and a little girl in front leans across her parents' laps. The mother wears a dark dress, a necklace and earrings. The studio backdrop shows painted foliage.

The calm, intimate poses of the family members were typical of 19th-century family portraits.