Born in Germany, Jan Damschroeder spent most of his life working in Amsterdam, where we believe this work to be set.  He specialised in genre paintings, often with the inclusion of children.  A painting entitled 'The Village School' was sold at a London auction house c.1900 for what was then the considerable sum of 30 guineas.  Damschroeder worked in both oils and watercolours, often painting on a more modest scale than this example.  It would seem that this is a major large work and was painted as an exhibition piece.