Hendrik Hulk, from the famous 19th-century painter's family, was taught by his father Abraham Hulk. Like his father, he became a marine painter, although landscapes are also known of him. In 1858 he moved from Enkhuizen to Haarlem, after which he mainly painted ships on the Spaarne, beach views and Zuiderzee views in impressionist style. In the 1990s, he was at the height of his fame and sold a lot abroad.