Jacob Dooijewaard (1876-1969) was born on August 12, 1876 on the Korte Prinsengracht in Amsterdam. He had a sister and five brothers, including Willem. His father had a painting company and was also artistically inclined himself. He encourages his sons to take up painting. They were already copying paintings in the Rijksmuseum at the age of nine.

Jaap will study at the Ouellinusschool and then at the Rijksnormalschool to obtain his drawing certificate. He also later took modeling lessons to better capture figures in the background on canvas. During his studies he met Derk Meeles, Hendrik Jan Wolter, Manus van der Ven, the architect Hendrik Elzinga - who would later build the house 'De 7-Linden' in Blaricum - and his good friend Frans Langeveld.

After his studies, Jaap taught at the Volksband and then at the Kunstambacht school. After successfully submitting work to exhibitions several times, his real painting career began. He was given a studio on the Bloemgracht, in the middle of the Jordaan. In addition to portraits, Jaap focused on still lifes, interiors and cityscapes. The Amsterdam period was youthful academic-classical work under the influence of the Amsterdam moderns. Dooijewaard had some success abroad with this.

Dooijewaard did not have much money, but he partied a lot with his Amsterdam colleagues and friends. In 1899 Jaap went to Paris with Frans Langeveld for a few months. He then accidentally ended up in Laren, where he was often found with fellow painters in Hamdorff. In 1901 Dooijewaard settled in a house on the Zijtak. During the Laren period he mainly focused on the peasant interior.

In 1904 he settled in Nunspeet, where he rented a studio for a period of ten years and traveled many times from there. From a small studio on the Zoom, he set out with sensitive painter Arthur Briët to Overijssel, Brabant and Limburg and mainly painted interiors, the population and also the landscape.

In 1914 Jaap returned to Laren and later to Blaricum. There he lived in the so-called 'Wonder House' because a woman with medicinal gifts had once lived there. Later he took over the burned down farm 'De Zeven Linden' from colleague Henri van de Velde. His architect friend Elzinga renovated it for him. Jaap went to live there with his brother Willem and his wife.

A friendship with Anna and William Singer also arose in Laren. In 1919, the Dooijewaard brothers were invited to the Singers' home in Olden, Norway. After the death of William Singer in 1943, Jaap became Anna's great source of support; also in the purchase of paintings for her collection. After the war and people could travel freely again, Anna and Jaap first went to America to arrange business and organize exhibitions in honor of William Singer. Later a museum followed in their old home 'De Wilde Zwanen' on the Oude Drift and one in Bergen, Norway, shortly after Anna's death. Jaap continued to work until his death in 1969.

His work is well documented through various exhibitions and a large number of honorary exhibitions (75, 80, 95 and 90 years). Which are of course always accompanied by beautifully produced catalogs with introductions.