Portrait of a Woman

Emil Rosenstand’s skills were many and varied. He apprenticed as a wood carver, then did stucco work during reconstruction of the burned-out Frederiksborg Castle in eastern Denmark. Meanwhile, he intermittently studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. After extensive travel throughout southern Europe, he settled in Germany. Though Rosenstand attempted a painting career, he found his true niche as a magazine and book illustrator. His main subject was middle-class urban life—think men in top hats and ladies in silk. His greater contributions to art, however, were his intimate portraits and figure studies, such as this watercolor.