After completing his training with J.E.J. van den Berg, the Hague painter Philip Lodewijk Jacob Frederik Sadée concentrated mainly on historical paintings and biblical scenes. Later in his career he painted townscapes too. Sadée’s inspiration for this painting came from the lively dockside activity to be seen at the ferry bridge on the river Ij, behind Amsterdam’s main railway station. After the new Central Station was opened in 1889 the mooring places for most of the local and regional lines were moved to the new ferry bridges at the back of the station building - which had been built on an island. There, at the De Ruyterkade, you could find ships bound for Noord-Holland on the far side of the Zuiderzee. For a great number of years the Zaandam ferry used ferry bridge number 11, identifiable by the large sign announcing its destination.