Antique, 19th century, ca. 1870 oil on canvas depicting a snowy winter townscape with a military veteran and a mischievous boy about to have a snowball fight (!). I'm sure someone can think up a clever title for this fun little genre painting. 

Unframed oil measures 9 7/8 inches x 8 1/8 inches. It'll fit into a standard size 8 x 10" frame. I don't see a signature. Perhaps the painting could be attributed to a painter of similar 'snowballing' scenes. I like the internal light in this oil. The snow looks lit up, as it's contrasting with the time of day (dusk).

Considering that it's around 150 years old, the painting is just in fair condition. It's dusty. I tried brushing it off, but that just moved the dust around. I guess it needs wiping off with something, if looking to remove the dust. Also, some imperfect, minor touch-ups are apparent.  

From a normal viewing distance, the painting seems acceptable enough to me. If examining it really close up, imperfections are more obvious. I know it was cleaned, strip lined, and has a tiny patch on the back. To get the painting as perfect as possible, it would need a little more work per inpainting and varnishing.

In this painting, the military veteran has a sword in it's sheath on his belt, as well as a walking cane. The boy is wearing knickers. Both characters have pom-pom hats. I don't know that these fashions were country-specific. I think of this piece as having more of a universal appeal.

This is a charming, playful oil by a skilled hand. If it's by an American artist, it might be someone like J.G. Brown, who painted street kids, snowball fight subjects, etc. I believe the canvas size was meant to be a standard 8 x 10". Sizes weren't perfectly exact way back when. 

The style of this painting is traditional realism. It has a classic look. I really don't come across paintings like this anymore. The reason why I even have it to offer here is that I acquired it a long time ago, here in New Jersey. Any questions, just ask.