The work probably depicts a beach scene of fisher folk gathered together, with two women viewed from behind in the centre talking with a bearded man.

This is one of a group of eleven drawings (PAE5170, PAE5171, PAE5172, PAE5173, PAE5174, PAE5175, PAE5176, PAE5177, PAE5178, PAE5179, PAE5180). They are drawn in pen and brown ink over graphite and mostly show groups of fishing people. Each drawing is inscribed on the back of the mount in an early 18th century hand; in this case, ‘Wm Vanderveld Senr. No. 100’.

Although there is no absolute certainty that they are by van de Velde, it seems likely that they were drawn in about 1655 when he was particularly busy with pen-paintings into which he introduced groups of fishing people in the foreground. He was a friend of Simon de Vlieger (circa 1600–53) whose figure studies he may have used for his pen-paintings, but it is unlikely that these drawings are by de Vlieger as his figure drawings are superior to van de Velde’s.