In his youth Louis Meijer painted woodland scenes, landscapes and ice scenes. After a period in Paris from 1842 to 1846, he visited the Mediterranean before settling in The Hague and concentrating on marine painting with boats. He is best known for his depictions of transparent water and the reflection of light and sun on waves. Sometimes he clearly painted French ship types. Meijer had many pupils and was one of the 19th century’s leading Dutch marine painters.