Mesdag affords us a glimpse into the life of fishermen from the village of Scheveningen. Their wooden flatbottomed ships, ‘pinks,’ could easily be pulled onto the beach in the absence of a harbour. Anchors stick out from the sand in the foreground. When the boats arrived, the women flocked to the beach to purchase freshly caught fish at auction, whereupon they went from door to door, selling their wares from carts.