The Mesdag collection is housed in Hendrik Willem Mesdag's home and the building he had constructed in 1887 to house his extensive collection of works of art. In accordance with his wishes, he bequeathed the entire collection to the state in 1903. The museum enables a comparison to be made between the Barbizon School (Millet, Corot, Rousseau, Courbet) in the mid 19C, and the Hague School (Bosboom, Mauve, the Maris brothers, Israëls, and Mesdag).