The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit

Ok, I don't think that there is a ton of symbolism in this painting as it could easily be a simple portrait but-- there are a couple of things that I would like to mention about it. Most importantly, all of the girls look very much alike. So, they could be sisters OR it could be the depiction of the same girl in different stages of her life. It's interesting because as she gets older, she retreats more into the shadows until finally, at her oldest, she is no longer facing out. The youngest girl is innocence, curiosity. She is closest to us-- it's like she blindly trusts the audience or society in general. Also, she is dressed in all white-- a color of purity and childhood. As the girl(s) get older they are darker and farther away. I think that this painting in itself symbolizes what happens when a child ages and how their relationship with society changes with them.