The Hollands Spoor railway station is the oldest railway station in The Hague and was opened in 1843, when the 'Oude Lijn' the oldest railway line in the country, was extended to The Hague. This line was further extended to Rotterdam in 1847. The railway station was named after the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij (HYSM), the company that operated the railway station.
Another version of the present composition is in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, as 'Bosbrug near the Malieveld with the 'Wachtje' to the right, The Hague' (inv. no. A 2957).