Between 1837 and May 1843, i.e. from the age of 18 until the age of 24, Jongkind lived in Maassluis, first here on the Markt, then for six months on the Noordvliet.

His mother rented accommodation in this building on the 'Markt' from the widow of Nicolaes Blanc who, after her husband's death, sublet part of her house as extra income. Johan Barthold Jongkind was registered to be living here with his mother.

When Johan arrived in Maassluis, he had just turned 18 and was therefore still at the beginning of his career as a painter.

From the memoires of his friend and painter Charles Rochussen, we know that Johan Barthold Jongkind first worked as a clerck (probably at a notary's office), but that he soon became noticed in the bars of The Hague because of his quick sketches.

In a first letter that his mother Jongkind wrote to him in November 1837, it appears that Jongkind stayed in The Hague from time to time and was apprenticed to Andreas Schelfhout, a well-known painter in the Romantic school.

With great pride she writes:

'Johan I am truly delighted that your painting turned out so well and that Mr. Schelfhout was also pleased with your work.....
...It is of great joy to me ...that you have come to such a happy and good destination with your choice of becoming a painter. One can now truly say that you are attending 'high schoo'l. '


In that period, just before he rents a private room in The Hague for a couple of months, mother does his laundry, attends to his clothes and hides 5 guilders in his laundry. The clean laundry with a letter is sent to The Hague via the barge of the Trekvaart, which nowadays stops at Mother's doorstep at the Markt, just as it did then.  

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After these couple of months in The Hague Jongkind seems to return back to live with his mother untill he leaves for The hague in 1843 and later for Paris in 1846.