No other painting by Felix Schlesinger is as widely reproduced in children’s books and calendars as Fütterung Der Kaninchen. Its enduring popularity rests on a simple, universal ritual: the feeding of animals, a theme that made Schlesinger a favorite among nineteenth-century collectors seeking scenes of innocence and domestic harmony. While the exact year of its creation remains uncertain, the painting’s gentle subject and warm palette have made it a touchstone for German genre painting, often cited in period exhibition catalogues as a model of sentimental realism. At the heart of Fütterung Der Kaninchen, a young girl, perhaps Schlesinger’s own daughter, kneels in a sunlit garden, offering a handful of greens to a clutch of eager rabbits.

The painter captures the moment of anticipation—the animals’ twitching noses, the child’s focused care—inviting the viewer to share in this quiet exchange. The girl’s simple dress and the rustic wooden hutch evoke rural life, while the soft, natural light draws attention to the gentle bond between child and animal. Unlike Jean-Baptiste Greuze’s sentimental children, who often appear as moral exemplars, Schlesinger’s figures are grounded in everyday affection, their gestures unstudied and sincere. The provenance of Fütterung Der Kaninchen is not fully documented, a common fate for works by Felix Schlesinger, whose paintings were widely dispersed through private sales in late nineteenth-century Germany.

Although no major museum claims the original canvas, its image survives in countless prints and reproductions, attesting to its broad appeal. Within Schlesinger’s career, the painting stands as a quintessential example of his focus on childhood and rural life, themes that resonated with a public eager for scenes of comfort amid rapid social change. Today, Fütterung Der Kaninchen remains a beloved emblem of the artist’s gentle vision, even as the details of its journey through time are lost to history.