[beachwanderer]

I agree with Gudy on the first two points but would opt for the simple "travelling artist"; as far as the "fahrender Künster" is concerned. Itinerant is technically correct of course, but probably lacks the negative connotation as in "he is -just- like a travelling artist". The mother doesn't see him meet the expected family-standard.

As to "Commerzienrat": The "C" would habe been preferred over the simple "K" as being definitely more, well, posh. I think there was some adjustment in writing loanwords which had the latin "C" in it rather with a "Z" or a "K" (where the sound was appropriate) at around 1900.

(As an aside: One of the bigger financial institutes in Germany still bears the name "Commerzbank" and has its roots in the "Commerz- und Disconto-Bank" (note both "C"s) which was formed February 1870 in Hamburg, so one still does see the "C" sometimes.)