Portrait of an Alsatian woman

This portrait represents Marguerite Haas, born in 1876 in Uhrwiller, paternal grandmother of the donor, and was undoubtedly made from a photograph. She wears a knotted headdress and shawl, a costume then worn in this region.
This was a gift sent by her uncle and godfather, who had moved to New York. Like many Alsatians, several members of this family emigrated to become farmers in the United States in the last quarter of the 19th century.
The painting was sent to Marguerite by post in an impressive golden frame, proof of the "American Uncle's" success and certainly meant to catch the eye of visitors coming into the living room (the Stùb).
Descendants of these emigrants from Alsace and the Upper Rhine still survive today, some speaking Germanic dialects close to Alsatian. The best known of these communities is that of the Amish in North America.