Willem Troost was born in Arnhem in 1812. He received his artistic training in The Hague, where he attended the academy in 1839 and 1840 and received painting lessons from Andreas Schelfhout. Before that, he had already successfully exhibited at major exhibitions in The Hague and Amsterdam. After his apprenticeship, Troost specialized in painting landscapes and beach views that betray the influence of his teacher in their composition. He also painted portraits and every now and then a cityscape.