Fotoreproductie van een ontwerp van een man die een liefdespaar op huwelijksreis in een gondel bezingt, door J. Carpey before 1858

This reproduction of a design by J. Carpey, whose first name we don't know, depicts a man serenading a honeymooning couple in a gondola. This scene gives us a peek into the rituals and expectations surrounding marriage. We are presented with an image of bourgeois intimacy that might resonate with some and exclude others. The serenade, typically a romantic gesture, is here commodified, transforming the singer into a kind of performer for the consumption of the honeymooners. The fact that we don't know the artist's first name points to his position in society, and perhaps underscores how the working classes are often rendered invisible, even as they are meant to 'perform' romantic love for others. While it may seem like a simple depiction of love and romance, it also highlights the economic and social structures at play in the performance of love and courtship. A moment of reflection on who gets to be the object or subject of desire?