Parish Clerk by Anker

Albert Anker (Swiss 1831-1910) painted "The Parish Clerk" in 1874.

According to Wikipedia, his signature theme was "the everyday life of people in rural communities. His paintings depict his fellow citizens in an unpretentious and plain manner, without idealising country life, but also without the critical examination of social conditions."

He was Switzerland's favorite genre painter, and his paintings have appeared on many postage stamps. He said: "One has to shape an idea in one's imagination, and then one has to make that idea accessible to the people."