Jacob Eduard van Heemskerck van Beest was born on 28 February 1828 in Kampen in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. He was the son of a sea captain, Dirk van Heemskerck van Beest, and followed his father to join the Dutch navy at the age of 14.[1] He served in the navy from 1842 to 1853 before resigning and moving to Utrecht where he became a painter, focusing on naval historical pictures and general shipping scenes. He was a pupil of Dirk van Lokhorst, a notable painter of the Dutch modern school.[2]
In 1867, Van Heemskerck van Beest moved to The Hague where he became a member of the "De Witte" society in 1872.[3] He then lived in Dalfsen between 1879 and 1885. He was the first teacher of his daughter, the painter Jacoba van Heemskerck.[2] He died at the age of 66 in The Hague on 24 December 1894.[3]
Gallery
ZM Steamship Medusa forces the entrance to the Strait of Simonoseki between Kioe-Sjioe and Hondo (Japan)
A plantation camp of slaves in Surinam, with Gerard Voorduin, 1860-1862
An Arowakka Indian camp, with Gerard Voorduin, 1860-1862
Views of plantations on the river Surinam. Jagtlust and Suzanna's Daal, with Gerard Voorduin, 1860-1862
Post Gelderland and Jews Savannah, Suriname, with Gerard Voorduin, 1860-1862