What was Marc Chagall’s family life like in Vitebsk?

Marc Chagall’s family life in Vitebsk was rooted in a devoutly Jewish household that included eight siblings in addition to the artist. His family was humble but not poverty-stricken.1

His parents maintained a modest livelihood: his father worked in a herring warehouse, while his mother operated a shop that sold various goods, including fish, flour, sugar, and spices. During his youth, Chagall attended a heder (a Jewish elementary school) before transitioning to a local public school where instruction was conducted in Russian. This upbringing in the western Russian Empire provided the foundational environment that would later influence his artistic themes and poetic associations.12