Jozef Israëls (Dutch, 1824-1911)
Children on the Beach, ca. 1875
Oil on canvas
40 1/4 x 55 1/4 inches
Gift of Nathan and Jessie Kimberly Paine
1946.201
Jozef Israëls painted portraits and subjects from history early in his career, but turned to scenes of Dutch fisherman and peasants in the 1850s. He settled in The Hague in 1870s and became a leading member of The Hague School, a group of artists known for their depictions of landscapes and beach scenes. The carefree subject and simple charm of Children on the Beach would have appealed to a Victorian audience increasingly caught up in the bustle of industrialization.
