Berlin 1949. Engraving By Paul Kleinschmidt (1893-1949)

This piece is a night scene of two women conversing, one leaning out of her window and the other on the street below, with two young children. I am not certain about the medium: a print, an engraving?
At first glance Kleinschmidt seems to be just depicting a nighttime encounter in a German city just at the end of WWII. However, the image has a haunting quality and seems to raise questions about the figures. What are they discussing? What are they doing in the evening?

The composition of the piece is interesting, especially in contrast to Kleinschmidt's bold portraits of individuals, often without any background or context. In this piece the subjectsare framed by the architecture, featuring the woman at the window, while the threefigures below have their backs to us, and seem almost part of the stone work around them.

The piece is signed, followed by a set of numbers and 49.
Dimensions: Framed - 19.5" Wide, 26" High; Unframed - 17" Wide; 24" High.

Provenance: We bought the engraving in Cambridge, MA from a small shop in the mid 2000's. We do not know further information about prior owners, The label on the backindicates that it was framed by Cohen's Picture Store, Washington, D.C


Condition:
Alterations: Original Condition Unaltered
Imperfections: Some Imperfections
Condition Notes: This is a framed piece including the glass front. We have never taken it out of the frame. There is a label on the back indicating that it was framed by Cohen Brothers in Washington, D.C.. It appears, through the glass, to be in excellent condition. It looks to be in excellent condition although age and travel coukd have causes some imperfections that are invisible through the glass.

Origin:
Germany

Materials & Techniques:
Engraving, Paper

Details:
What type of item is it? Vintage / Antique / Used
Art Subjects: Figure
Frame Type: Framed
Country of Origin: Germany

Original Condition Unaltered; Some Imperfections; This is a framed piece including the glass front. We have never taken it out of the frame. There is a label on the back indicating that it was framed by Cohen Brothers in Washington, D.C.. It appears, through the glass, to be in excellent condition. It looks to be in excellent condition although age and travel coukd have causes some imperfections that are invisible through the glass.