Ludwig Knaus, who studied at the Dusseldorf Academy, continued the realistic traditions of the Düsseldorf school of painting. His works especially stand out for the sharpness of their psychological qualities and a finely elaborated palette. Between 1852-1861, the artist lived and worked in Paris, where his art was influenced by his French contemporaries. His contribution to German realistic painting is usually compared to Gustave Courbet’s contribution to French realism. He became an honorary member of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts in 1899. 

In the beginning of the 1850s, Knaus created a series of large genre paintings with an elaborate subject and many characters. The Moscow painting belongs to this series. Knaus started to work on it as soon as he arrived in Paris in December 1852. The subject was borrowed from the life of peasants in Herrischried, Southern Black Forest. The artist brought German national costumes to Paris and used them while working on this painting. At the Salon in 1853, Knaus was awarded with the 2nd gold medal for this artwork. Critics noted the expressive plasticity of characters, the harmonized color scheme, and the artist’s appealing comic talent.