"Diamond Merchant" by Marian Lerer, Amer., (1928-2017)

Lithograph, Ca. 1950's, Ed. unknown, 12-3/16 x 8-3/16, unsigned,  on cream wove paper. As with her print "Treegob's Variety", Marian Lerer here explores the "stage and actors" on which the wheels of local commerce turn, and this diamond merchant may have been a local neighborhood fixture in Philadelphia observed by Lerer while growing up. Regardless, it is a striking image, devoid of comedic elements, with it's formidible, stoic subject, fixing us with his steely gaze, arms crossed and equally ready to defend his wares or negotiate a deal.