Jacob van Rossum lived and worked almost all his life in The Hague and he is therefore regarded as a typical painter from The Hague. After his education at the Hague academy, he specialized in painting traditional subjects in impressionist style: landscapes with a farm and cattle, poultry at a farm, river and forest views. He also painted some cityscapes and figure pieces. His work sometimes has a humorous undertone. In addition to being a painter, Van Rossum was also a skillful draftsman and etcher.