The book presents topographical landscapes, panoramas, and some group and individual portraits that often include a window from which light emanates. Essays by eminent authorities discuss various aspects of the Danish and North German open air movement. They note, for example, that the paintings reflect a direct view of nature devoid of the intellectual and moral overtones of the neoclassical paintings that preceded them. They also discuss the fact that Schleswig Holstein was closely allied with Denmark until 1848, and this favored many Hamburg and north German artists studying at the Academy in Copenhagen where painting out of doors was encouraged. In addition to the essays, the book presents 108 works by twenty-three artists, catalogue entries for each work, and a biography of each artist.