A view of the bleaching fields and ramparts of Haarlem

This 1650 view records the bleaching fields outside Haarlem, an important commercial landscape in seventeenth-century Holland. Haarlem was the centre of the Dutch linen-bleaching industry: cloth was spread on grass to whiten in the sun, and the wide expanses of bleaching fields became part of the distinctive visual identity of the area. Ruisdael, Avercamp, and others painted such scenes, but Van Borssom's version is among the less-known examples of this topographic type. The town's outline, including Saint Bavo's church, appears in the background — a visual anchor confirming the painting's specific Haarlem identity.

The composition exploits the flatness of the Dutch terrain: bleaching linens create pale horizontal strips across the middleground, contrasting with the green of the grass and the pale sky. The town silhouette at the horizon grounds the view geographically. Atmosphere and light are handled with restraint.