Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the age of six

What it is

This is a photograph reproducing an earlier painting of Mozart at age six. The photograph itself was made by A. Lenisch, copying the original artwork. It shows the boy dressed in an elegant 18th-century outfit with a powdered wig, frilled cravat and embroidered coat, standing beside a harpsichord. It is held today by the Wellcome Collection in London.

Why it matters

Mozart was famous from a very young age as a musical prodigy, and images like this helped spread his fame as a child performer. Because this is a photograph of a painting rather than the original artwork, it shows how Mozart's image was reproduced and circulated long after his lifetime. The exact date of the original painting is unknown, which reminds us that not every historical image comes with clear evidence of when or by whom it was first made.

Look closer

• What does the clothing and setting tell you about how wealthy families dressed and presented children in the 1700s?
• Why might this image have been copied as a photograph later on?
• What is missing from this image that might help us know exactly when the original painting was made?