Gezicht op de Wittevrouwenpoort te Utrecht 1847 - 1874

Jan van Lokhorst made this etching of the Wittevrouwenpoort in Utrecht in the Netherlands, sometime in the late nineteenth century. This quiet image of a city gate and the buildings around it can tell us a lot about the development of the Netherlands in this period. The Wittevrouwenpoort was built in the early 16th century as part of Utrecht's defenses. By the late nineteenth century, the gate had become a relic of an earlier era. We can see the gate is decorated with banners, but there is also a clock which suggests a meeting of old traditions with more modern and commercial interests. The late nineteenth century was a time of rapid change in the Netherlands, as industrialization and urbanization transformed Dutch society. Through art historical research into Dutch history, we can see how it reflects the changing social and political landscape of the Netherlands in the late nineteenth century.