Unidentified photographer
1840-1850s
Well-to-do Jewish family. [Duchy of Bukovina]

Photograph, on glass
15 x 19 cm
 
Russian Museum of Ethnography
Number: ??? 12498-1
 
Curatorial description (Accessed: 5 August 2021)
In the center is the head of the family wearing secular men's clothes (with a traditional Jewish headgear, kippah or yarmulke, on his head). Seated in front of the head of the family is his wife surrounded by the daughters standing; they all are wearing urban-style dresses with cape collars typical for the mid-1840s and 1850s.
 
In the middle and 2nd half of the 19th century, the Jewish community of Chernovtsy played an important role in the economic life of the Duchy of Bukovina. Its most active representatives took a dynamic part in the development of industry (timber and construction), commerce, and banking. Children of wealthy families often got secular education; in many families, there were two languages of communication, Yiddish and German.
 
LL/112508