The son of Jozef Israels, Hague School painter. Studied at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague and the Royal Academy of Visual Arts in Amsterdam. Member of the circle of artists and writers the "Tachtigers", reflecting a progressive style of painting depicting the "man in the street". He later, in 1904, moved to Paris to paint similar subjects in parks, cafes, and cabarets. He made his living painting portraits; a portrait of his famous sitter Margaretha Gertrud Zelle, a.k.a. Mata Hari is known to consist of images of everyday figures and working people.