Lighthouse in Breaking Waves

From 1870 the fishing village of Scheveningen grew rapidly into a modern seaside resort. Mesdag, however, rarely depicted the boulevard, or the new harbour that was built in 1904. He preferred to paint the traditional life of fishermen. This picture is an exception: a light-house, or rather a beacon. Signal lights, piers and the lighthouse were installed in Scheveningen only in the early 20th century.