German Peasants of Steinach, Hornburg, San Giorgio and Leonberger, 1842

An original antique lithograph, hand colored, from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842). The upper image shows four figures in a row. At left a woman in a crown like white headdress and a long braid wears a green jacket over a red and yellow laced stomacher and a lavender pleated skirt; beside her a young woman in a small cap with a bow, a white blouse with a wide collar and a yellow apron lifts her skirt. Then comes a woman in a broad dark hat over a white cap, a green jacket, a blue apron and a striped orange skirt, and at right a man in a round hat, long blue coat, green braces and yellow breeches with red tassels. In the lower image, at left, a man in a black hat and long ocher coat leans on a stick beside a woman in a black hat, red jacket and green skirt; at right a woman with a long braid and a white cap faces a man in a long brown coat, red waistcoat, yellow breeches and blue stockings who holds a tricorn hat.

The lettering reads "Tav. 72" at upper left, "GERMANIA" in the center and "Tom IV" at upper right. The upper captions read "Contadine di Steinach." (Peasant Women of Steinach) and "Contadini di Hornburg" (Peasants of Hornburg). The lower captions read "Contadini di S. Giorgio." (Peasants of San Giorgio) and "Abitanti di Leonberger" (Inhabitants of Leonberger).

Regional dress in the German lands varied from valley to valley, with distinctive headdresses, bodices and aprons marking a woman's home district and status.

With eight figures in bright greens, reds and yellows, this plate makes a cheerful accent in a kitchen, hallway or nursery.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.