Israëls first exhibited the painting in 1859 at The Hague with the title Droomen (Dreams).

[1] The painting has had many different titles including Dolce far niente, Rêverie, Dreams of Youth and Castles in the Air.

[1] In 1859 art critic Théophile Thoré-Bürger who wrote for Gazette des Beaux-Arts described the original size of the painting and when it was auctioned by Sotheby's they determined that part of the painting was cut away on the left-hand side of the canvas after its 1860 exhibition.

[3][4] The painting shows a young girl resting with her back on a sand dune and her hands behind her head.

She looks toward the sea with the setting Sun casting rays on the waves.