A postcard with a drawing by Moritz Oppenheim portraying a German Jewish family during the Purim feast. Two of the people in the drawing are wearing masks, as is customary on the festival. The child wearing the mask is performing for the family who seem to be enjoying the performance. The child is accompanied by a musician playing a lute who can be seen in the left-hand corner.
The father of the family would seem to be the man seated in the armchair, surrounded by his children. He wears a kippa, as does the child climbing on the table to watch the performance. On the wall is a photograph of what appears to be a man wrapped in a tallit. Hanging from the ceiling is a traditional Shabbat lamp. All these elements suggest that this is a family who observe religious laws.
From their elegant dress and elaborate furnishings, they can be presumed to be a wealthy family. The woman peering into the room from the doorway is possibly dressed in a maid’s outfit, which is a further indication of their affluence.
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Purim - Purim is celebrated on the 14 Adar as the day the Jewish people were saved from destruction during the fourth century BCE. The heroine of the Purim story, Queen Esther, worked together with her uncle, Mordechai, to reverse the decree of genocide issued against the Jewish people by Haman, the vizier of Persia. It is the tradition on Purim to dress up in costumes, distribute small food packages known as mishloach manot, give charity, and listen to the reading of the Megilla – the Book of Esther.
Moritz Oppenheim – Moritz Oppenheim (1800–1882) is considered the first European Jewish painter, since he was the first to receive a classical art education and to gain recognition from non-Jewish German society. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Oppenheim was very connected to his Jewish background and sought to depict it in a positive light through his paintings. He worked during a complicated period for German Jewry: on the one hand, they were trying to become emancipated, free-thinking Jews who were assimilated into German society, while they were also striving to retain their Jewish identity. Oppenheim’s paintings reflect the pre-Emancipation world of the ghetto in a positive light for both his non-Jewish and Jewish audiences. Jewish life in Oppenheim’s paintings is a warm, family experience filled with books and learning in which children look to their elders for guidance and inspiration. Copies of Oppenheim’s works appeared in books and on postcards and porcelain and pewter plates.
