(Image below: A print showing shoemakers working within the guild system in the 18th century. From the Rijksmuseum collection.)

Adriaen van Bommel became a member of Breda's shoemakers' guild on 12 December 1718. In the Middle Ages and early modern period, most trades could only be carried out if you were a guild member of the respective craft. The guilds had a lot of influence on everything that happened within the profession. They set prices, enforced strict rules, established quality standards and determined who could join the profession.

The purpose of a guild was to monitor the quality of the profession. However, guilds were often so powerful that they widely abused their position. The guild could keep prices artificially high, exclude newcomers and put guild members under a lot of pressure. The guild system ended in the Netherlands during French rule in 1811.

(Image above: A print showing 18th century shoemakers. From the collection of the Rijksmuseum.)