Ilse Weisfelt is a freelance illustrator from Rotterdam who makes colourful and cartoonesque works in which funny scenes with animals and people play a central role.
The painting refers to the history of the former fire station that was situated close by. This station used to be a cinema. Ilse based her painting, among other things, on the 'first dates' of visitors of the movie theater. This theater was the 'Witte Bioscoop' (White Cinema), which opened its doors in 1913. The Witte Bioscoop was a Catholic initiative, hence the white, the virginal. The aim was to show good films with a 'Roman Catholic signature'. Going to the cinema was very popular at that time and this way, the church could make sure that people watched 'decent' films. A year later, the First World War began and the building was occupied by Dutch soldiers. Later on, it was again a cinema for a short while, before it became the fire station.