Family Ties
Who is Francesco’s wife?
Rosina Viamonti.
Approximately how old is Francesco in the scene?
About 28 years old.
What immediate caregiving action does Rosina perform in the painting?
She tends Francesco’s wounds / arranges his pillow / brings comfort (cup/blanket).
Around what year was Il ritorno del soldato ferito painted?
Circa 1854 (1850s).
Who stayed home to work and support the family while Francesco was at war?
Andrechi Lara (the brother).
What was Francesco’s pre-war occupation?
He was an artisan.
What is Beatrice doing when we see her in the window?
Watching the street anxiously for news or help.
What national movement does this painting relate to?
The Risorgimento (Italian unification).
Who is the older figure looking out the window and what is her relation to the family?
Beatrice — Rosina’s mother (the soldier’s mother-in-law).
Approximately how old is Rosina, the wife who cares for the household?
About 25 years old.
Which mood replaces public triumph in this homecoming scene?
Quiet, somber domestic hardship and emotional strain.
Why is a domestic painting of a wounded soldier important for understanding the Risorgimento’s social impact?
Because it highlights how national struggles translated into domestic suffering — families paid the human and economic cost of unification.
Which character brings news from the front and visits the family?
Massimo Assael (the soldier’s war friend/partner).
List two symptoms or effects Francesco shows after returning from war.
Wounds in his leg/shoulder and nightmares; he needs help moving.
Name one way the painting critiques the glorification of war.
It focuses on household suffering, long-term injuries and emotional cost rather than heroics or parade images.
How does Induno’s focus on normal families change how we remember the Risorgimento?
It makes us see history from the people’s side — not just the heroes. It helps us feel empathy for the families who suffered and reminds us that war has real human costs.
In one sentence: how do family roles change after Francesco’s return?
The caregiver role shifts into unpaid household labor (Rosina), Andrés becomes the primary provider/practical manager, and emotional burdens fall unevenly across members.
Give a short backstory for Max Assael (one sentence).
Massimo is a 29-year-old comrade who fought with Francesco, visits the family to bring news or small gifts, and represents battlefield memory and friendship.
How does the soldier’s return change the family’s daily life (one-paragraph answer)?
The family reorganizes around care: the wife becomes primary nurse and manager of the household, the brother handles finances and labor, the child grows up with uncertainty, and social roles shift from public celebration to long-term survival and emotional labor
???
Gotcha! You just got 500 bonus points, lucky you!