The nineteenth century was the heyday of the Dutch watercolor. This book shows how this technique in the course of the centuries developed from the 'colored drawings' of romantic painters like Koekkoek and Nuyen and the watercolor paintings of the Hague School. Famous artists like Mauve, Weissenbruchstraat, Joseph and Isaac Israels and Breitner brought the medium to full maturity. An important role in this development was played by the Hollandsche Teekenmaatschappij, which focused specifically on the promotion of watercolor as an independent medium. As founder and chairman for years, Hendrik Willem Mesdag played a key role. He not only painted watercolors himslef, but also collected works of others. His collection, preserved in The Mesdag Collection, and the rich collection of watercolors that Teylers Museum brought together in the nineteenth century, together with some of the finest watercolors from other collections, are the focus of this book.