Featured How old is this ...couple?

I *think* I have an idea, but Im not really familiar with European fashion, so, I dont want to embarrass myself with my guess

They are neat, not my taste, but I had fun coming up with their back stories.

I'm guessing the man is a fishmonger, via dressed in an apron and holding a fish scaler, not sure what his bag would be, doesn't look like something you'd want to transport fish around in though.

The woman, his wife or customer, she appears to be very displeased (I wouldn't want to be on her bad side), with him or life in general, idk...
Did she want more fish? Is she dissatisfied with the type of fish? Or just because, "it's fish again tonight?"

I noticed it looked as though she has scraped knuckles on one hand, and he has a red mark on one of his cheeks, but maybe shes just been kneading bread and he's cold from being out all day fishing.

They have been reframed, you can see the outline of the old frames and the condition of the paint from where it has been exposed to the elements vs protected behind a frame.

How old do you think they are, where do you think they are from, and what do you think their story is?

 

Blame it all on lutefisk.

 

Difficult to guess the age, but I can imagine them as old as the '30s.

Is this a signature?

 

1930s??
I was thinking much older..

And no, no signatures

 

I think they are both men. Is there an eel on that fish plate? They look fairly old to me as well, maybe even Victorian. But I know very little about art, other than I would not want to look at these two on a regular basis.

 

JMHO, and I am no expert...when I saw them I thought the style of painting is 1930s or so. The style of dress is much older but I would go by the style of painting for when they were done. Unless the back of the canvases tell another story, 1930s is where I would place them.

Like I said, no expert here, JMHO

 

How old did you think?

It would be interesting if you could find out for sure.

I can't see them being much older, maybe the '20s, but not older than that.

 

Styles are along similar lines as Thomas Hart Benton, Diego Rivera, Antonio Donghi. My untrained opinion points to late teens through the 20's.

I love them both!

 

Very interesting! I really like them..

 

But yes,that is one ‘disagreeable’ looking woman. When was it custom for women to smoke those little tobacco pipes? The man looks to maybe holding some sort of antique scraping tool..

 

Maybe No smiling allowed while smoking!

https://za.pinterest.com/pin/375769162640021476/

 

Eastenders ? man has payots - Eastern Jewish immigrant ? - and woman looks rather sturdy - Dutch or German ? and pipesmoking women were quite normal all around Europe.

 

I agree, the man has payots, so he could belong to some kind of Haredic Judaism. The woman is most likely his (disgruntled) wife, head covered in a non-specific old style headdress.
Definitely not a Dutch costume. We hardly have any Haredim anyway, but 'regular' Orthodox, and Sephardim. The closest Haredim/Hasidim communities are in Antwerp and London.

That generic woman's headdress was worn in parts of Flanders.
I don't know if the Hasidic women of Antwerp ever wore anything like it, but the somewhat Expressionist style of the painting was very popular in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium in the early 20th century.

 

Style does look early 20th almost brutalist.

aj, apparently Charedi is fast becoming our largest Jewish community. Birth rates and all that. My Jewish friends are mostly Liberal and Reform, both Ashkenazi and Sephardic. Couple of "regular" Orthodox.

 

And those dark colours and earth tones are seen a lot in Belgian Expressionist paintings.

 

The "uggly duchess", 1513!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ugly_Duchess

 

That's proof, it is a Belgian painting.

 

I find them really interesting, even kind of loving them both!

 

Haredim would never work so hard like that guy.
this guy looks like many normal Jewish craftsmen in probably the Eastern parts of the Habsburg Empire. contrary to stereotypes there were many Jews with farm and artisan jobs like the rest of the population. his short Beikeles were certainly far more comfy for work than the long ones the ultras have.