Hendrik Hollander painted portraits and genre and history paintings. His subjects were realistic, with a sentimental undertone. After his education at the Rijksacademie in Amsterdam, he was taught by portrait painters Nicolaas and Jan Willem Pieneman. In Amsterdam he was part of a group of prominent genre painters, which also included Johannes Vetten, August Allebé, Mari ten Kate, J. Taanman and Hein Burgers.