“Targ na gęsi w Krakowie” [Goose Market in Krakow] is a graphic adaptation of an oil painting by the famous Viennese painter Alois Schönn (1826–1897) (1869, oil/canvas, 100 × 86 cm, private collection). The printing technique of that time did not allow photographs to be reproduced in newspapers. Readers, however, were hungry for views of unknown faraway places, images of famous people and reproductions of works of art. That led to a development of a whole “industry” translating oil paintings into graphic techniques. Outstanding artists, such as the author of this print, William Unger (1837–1932), specialised in such reproductive printmaking.
However, what draws our interest in this print is primarily the representation of Kazimierz in Krakow, a great resource for learning about the customs, architecture, and Jewish costumes in the mid-nineteenth century. In the painting created after his visit to Krakow Schönn recreated faithfully and with a strong sense of observation the market scene, details of Jewish clothes, and elements of wooden architecture.
Details of the garment are rendered with realistic accuracy. We do not know if Schönn was aware of the diversity of the Jewish community in Galicia. He did notice, however, that the men (like those in the foreground), and the boys (next to them), do not wear the same costumes. An elderly bearded man with a skullcap on his head and a long pipe (“lulka”) in his hand is wearing a long robe under which a vest and a white shirt are visible. He tied his black pants with a fabric belt and tucked them into high boots with a soft upper. The man standing in front and leaning slightly towards him shows him a fat goose. We cannot see his face, but we can have a close look at his clothes. He also wears an ankle-length gown, but has a fur-trimmed hat on his head (called a shtreimel or a lisiura). His sidelocks, unlike those worn by the elderly man, are long. He has knee-length short black pants, white stockings, and shallow shoes with a decorative buckle.
In his picture, Schönn captured the moment when clothing began to define the affiliation to a particular group in the Jewish community. The elderly man wears a traditional Jewish outfit, while the other one wears a costume typical of the Hasidim, i.e. followers of the religious movement (initiated in the 18th century) whose aim was to renew the Judaist religiosity (see https://sztetl.org.pl/en/glossary/hasidism, accessed 8 August 2021).
Donated by Kira Finkelstein
Renata Piątkowska
