Portrait of Barbra Sommerfelt

Portrait of Barbra Sommerfelt (1910) by Christian Krohg is held in the Oslo Museum, which focuses on the social and cultural history of Oslo and its people. Sommerfelt was a figure within Christiania's cultural life, and Krohg's portrait of her reflects his sustained commitment to documenting the individuals who shaped Norwegian society. By 1910, Krohg had been teaching at his own Kunstakademi for nearly a decade, and his portraits from this period show a mature synthesis of the direct naturalist observation he absorbed in the 1870s–80s with the looser, more atmospheric handling associated with late Impressionism. The use of cardboard as a support was not uncommon for portraits of moderate scale in this era — it was cheaper and more portable than canvas, and its slightly absorbent surface could produce distinctive matte effects that suited informal commissions or preparatory works.

Oil on cardboard — the support's slight absorbency pulls at the paint, producing a matte, direct surface character different from canvas. The palette is warm and focused, with skin tones built in layered but relatively thin passages. The informal support suggests this may have been a direct, single-sitting characterization rather than a worked-up formal portrait.