Flori Van Acker (1858-1940) was born in Bruges, the son of a wooltrader. He studied art in Brussels, and in 1882, went to live in a small fishing town where, following the fashion of the time he embarked on painting realist scenes around him. In 1887, he returned to Bruges where he took up a post as teacher at the local Academy of Art.
Van Acker was a painter of Bruges cityscapes, of landscapes, of everyday scenes, historical and religious works and portraits. He was also a keen amateur photographer. In this scene, we see an imagined historical scene of Bruges, snow covered and very atmospheric.