Jong koppel loopt arm in arm over een brug 1875

Willem Geets created this print of a young couple arm in arm using etching, sometime in the late 19th century. Geets was Belgian and trained in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Here we see a strong interest in Medieval themes, very popular throughout Europe at this time. The couple in medieval dress are likely from the merchant class as this class began to garner increasing power and wealth in Europe. Antwerp itself was a centre of trade and finance. The image is romantic in tone, but at the same time seems to comment on the societal changes of its time. How does the artist reconcile traditional views with social change? Art historians make use of many archival documents, from letters and diaries, to business and institutional records to better understand the social context of art.