Portrayal of traditional costumes: 'Rügen - Mönchgut'

• chromolithography,
  sketch: Albert Kretschmer (1825-1891), Leipzig; print: Gustav Leutzsch chromolithographic institute, Gera (Reuss), 2nd half of the 19th century;
  height: 31.5 cm

This portrayal of traditional attire worn in Mönchgut provides information on the fashions of the time. The couple in the foreground wear the basic style of costume, and the children at play are dressed similarly. It is particularly notable that the artist also depicts the backs of the costumes.

The bridal couple is at the centre of the picture. The working clothes of the farmer and the sombre dress worn at church are shown to the left and right, on the edges.

By presenting the Mönchgut farmhouse in the background, the artist allows the onlooker to glimpse the local colour and typical architecture of the period around 1860.

The author of the image is Professor Albert Kretschmer, painter at the Royal Court Theatre in Berlin. He assiduously studies, sketches and describes traditional German costumes between 1864 and 1870. Kretschmer made a valuable contribution to the study of attire through the ages when he published his work 'Das große Buch der Volkstrachten' (A comprehensive study of traditional costumes).