Hermann en Dorothea maken een wandeling bij nacht 1823 - 1882

Friedrich Weber made this print, Hermann en Dorothea maken een wandeling bij nacht, sometime in the mid-19th century. It depicts a scene of tenderness and perhaps budding romance between a man and woman. Given the title, it seems likely that Weber's print refers to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's epic poem Hermann and Dorothea. Goethe’s poem, published in 1797, is set against the backdrop of the French Revolution and the displacement it caused. It tells the story of Hermann, a young man who helps a group of refugees and falls in love with one of them, Dorothea. This artwork is interesting from a social and cultural perspective because it reflects the Romantic era's fascination with both classical forms and contemporary social issues. Goethe’s poem, and by extension Weber’s print, promotes values of compassion, love, and social responsibility in times of upheaval. To fully appreciate such an artwork, it's helpful to look at the literary sources that inspired it as well as the socio-political context in which it was made.