The Letter is an 1896 realist genre painting by German artist Berthold Woltze. The picture is in a private collection.
Analysis of Woltze’s The Letter
Here we see a young mother with her daughter in an interior scene, likely a kitchen. The mother is holding a letter that she has just received, and stares downward in despair. The letter clearly contains bad news.
We can see that the letter was opened quickly, as she was peeling potatoes (as seen on the ground below her) and the envelope containing the letter is strewn on the floor beside her.