A Séance

Rococo-inspired scenes in costume were a genre that appealed to the wealthy 19th century bourgeoisie. Most of the Swedes in Paris tried their hand at this style at some point. Hugo Salmson had probably paved the way for many of them. He had been in France since 1867 and had sold many paintings on this theme. This painting was commissioned by the wholesale merchant Herman Friedländer, whose art collection was later bequeathed to the Nationalmuseum. Friedländer developed a close friendship with Carl Larsson.