Alexei Harlamoff, a Russian academic painter who lived from 1840 to 1925, was trained at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg before studying in Paris under the great portraitist Léon Bonnat. Though he painted for patrons like Tsar Alexander II and was known for religious works early in his career (such as The Return of the Prodigal Son), he achieved international acclaim for his delicate and idealized portraits of young girls and children, often rendered with a soft, feathery touch and a gentle, sentimental air that became the hallmark of his style. Translating Harlamoff's work into cross stitch allows you to capture the subtle color gradients and exquisite detail of these innocent faces and romantic, flowing fabrics, transforming his mastery of light and shadow into a timeless piece of hand-stitched art.