Storck was one of a family of artists and lived and worked in Amsterdam. Influenced especially by van de Velde, his output was prolific and concentrates on domestic, coastal scenery and celebratory views of his home city. This picture is typical in detailing a range of Dutch shipping, with their tricolour flying prominently from the vessel on the left and that most characteristic feature of the Dutch landscape, a windmill. With many patriotic associations, the image flatters the civic and nationalist pride of Storck’s Amsterdam patrons.