With a Studio just steps away is for Koppelaar the old shipyard 'De Walvis' (the Whale) on 'Prinseneiland' a motif for the taking. Several times he has painted this yard on large and small size. In the composition dominates the cut off tjalk in the foreground. Tough and majestic it is moored, covered with a layer of snow. There is no activity on the yard, it freezes, the 'Bickersgracht' is full of ice. With only Brown and white colors, mixed with a tip of red to give the colors some warmth, he shows us an image of the booming industry that once flourished on the artificial island. The arrival of large (cargo) ships marked the end of the shipbuilding activities, also at the now-closed Walvis shipyard.