In 1881, Panorama Mesdag was opened in the Zeestraat in The Hague, the management of which has been in the hands of the family since 1910, when H.W. Mesdag founded a family business after the death of his wife.

Aim of the family business was to secure the future of Panorama Mesdag as a museum attraction and as something characteristic of The Hague but at the same time also to promote it as an international cultural and historical phenomenon available to a wide audience that will continue to captivate and inspire for generations to come.
In August 1967, Panorama Mesdag was listed as a protected monument. It has been included in The Netherlands Museum Register since March 2001.
The sustainability of Panorama Mesdag has been supported by the Foundation for the Conservation of Panorama Mesdag since 1983.