Stockholm - Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

In this radiant drawing from 1911, Swedish artist Oskar Lycke captures the quiet grandeur of a summer landscape near Sundsvall in northern Sweden. The view stretches across a serene ...

In this poetic lakeside scene, Hilding Werner transports the viewer to a tranquil Scandinavian summer night at the turn of the century. Four couples dance gaily upon a wooden raft or...

A watercolor depicting a mountain view and the lake Gruyère, (Lac De La Gruyère) in Switzerland by the American Impressionist and Tonalist Mary Rogers Williams (1857–1907). Signed M.R. Williams. On the verso, the artist wrote: ‘Painted in Gruyère July 1902.’ This is a newly discovered work by a rare woman artist who seldom appears on the art market. Small in scale, yet rich in atmosphere, power, and depth—a genuine little gem. Mary Rogers Williams was born in 1857, in Hartford, Connecticut, the fifth of six children to a local baker. Orphaned by the age of fourteen, she pursued art with remarkable determination, studying at Hartford’s Decorative Art Society and the Art Students League in New York under William Merritt Chase. Her early mentor was James Wells Champney. In 1888, she joined Smith College as associate professor of art, where she taught for nearly twenty years to help support her family. Alongside her academic career, she maintained a serious and evolving artistic practice, though much of it was pursued within the limitations of her era’s gender roles and financial pressures. Her work is often classified as a blend of Tonalism and Impressionism—movements that were just taking shape during her lifetime. Tonalists used subdued palettes to evoke mood rather than detail, while Impressionists leaned toward brighter colors and broader subjects. Williams, working independently of art-world factions, forged a style rooted in mood, light, and atmosphere. She painted luminous pastels, watercolors, and oils—portraits, landscapes, and intimate studies of daily life. Despite knowing figures like Whistler, William Merritt Chase, and Childe Hassam, she rarely aligned herself with any artistic “school” and found many male contemporaries pretentious or repetitive. She famously dropped out of Whistler’s Paris school, calling him “a pompous fop surrounded by fawners.” Though Mary Cassatt and Williams were both American Impressionists living in Paris, they never met—Cassatt enjoyed wealth and elite circles, while Williams was a self-reliant educator without patrons. Williams traveled extensively throughout Europe—from the Arctic Circle to the ruins south of Naples—often alone or with her sister. She bicycled through fjords, hiked to medieval towns, and visited chateaux and harbors, all while sketching prolifically. She is likely the only 19th-century woman artist whose travels and daily life can be traced in such vivid, personal detail: what she ate, how she felt about fellow travelers, what she paid for trams, how the air smelled, what she wore, and how she missed home. She documented everything—museum visits, church restorations, conversations with hotel guests, and her frustrations with men’s treatment of women artists. These letters, rediscovered in 2012 in a family boathouse, provide an extraordinary insight into not only her art but the intellectual and emotional texture of her life. Her writings reveal not only artistic insight but the immense workload she carried. At Smith, she taught studio art and art history, organized faculty events, curated student exhibitions, wrote essays, handled housework, and even cooked and cleaned for her own lodgings. On vacations, she cooked for her family; in Europe, she waxed floors, painted walls, repaired clothing, and stoked fires—all while maintaining her painting and travel schedule. Unlike many of her male peers, she had no assistants, no household staff, and little inherited wealth. Yet, as her letters reveal, she never saw herself as a victim—she relished challenges and even the absurdities of her era, from Italian waiters pushing marriage to department heads at Smith dismissing women’s artistic capacity. Despite these challenges, Williams exhibited widely during her lifetime: Paris Salon (1899) National Academy of Design (1903–04) Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts New York Water Color Club, American Water Color Society, Art Association of Indianapolis, and more. She was praised in The New York Times, Hartford Courant, and Springfield Republican, and compared by peers to figures like Emily Dickinson—another New England woman of quiet yet profound artistic power. But unlike Dickinson, Mary Williams...

This tranquil view shows Öland’s rolling green heath at dusk, with grazing sheep and a lone windmill on the far horizon. The broad sky streaked with soft gold and blue underscores Kr...

This exquisitely detailed drawing by Swedish artist Oscar Lycke captures a rustic settlement nestled in the golden highlands of northern Sweden, most likely depicting the traditional...

In this luminous landscape study, Carl Oscar Borg captures the serene beauty of the New Mexican high desert, likely looking toward Mount Taylor, a sacred peak that rises above the su...

“Hilly landscape with trees and bushes from Narni in Italy,” sketched by Gustav Wilhelm Palm (1810–1890). Dated and signed “Narni 16 Sept” with “G.W [palm tree] 45,” it portrays gent...

This is a beautiful and highly decorative watercolor painting, featuring a charming garden scene filled with pink and white hollyhocks alongside blooming roses. Nestled among the del...

This luminous gouache captures a majestic mountain vista, likely set in California’s Sierra Nevada (possibly Yosemite). Two broad granite peaks with sunlit faces dominate the backgro...

In this expressive gouache study, Carl Oscar Borg captures the dramatic sweep of the Arizona highlands, where storm clouds gather over layered mesas and valleys bathed in shifting li...

Gustaf Wilhelm Palm (1810–1890) Sweden Ruins of the Imperial Castle Outside Split in Croatia pencil and watercolour unframed: 23.6 x 29.2 cm (9 1/4 x 11 1/2 in) framed: 40 x 45 cm...

We are delighted to present a stunning watercolor by the Swedish artist Albert Theodor Gellerstedt. This artwork, titled "Sickelsjö Trädgård" was created on June 8, 1883. The paintin...

We are delighted to present this enchanting winter landscape by the Sundsvall-born artist Oscar Lycke. Executed in 1911, Motif from Ljusdal captures the serene beauty of a snow-cover...

This enchanting watercolor, measuring a mere 4.5 x 8 cm, offers a glimpse into the beauty of a serene autumn landscape overlooking Lake Möckeln, nestled between the municipalities of Degerfors and Karlskoga in the province of Värmland, Sweden. In this picturesque scene, the horizon reveals the serene outline of the distant shoreline, adorned with several small islands. The tranquil waters mirror the reflection of the trees on the land, creating a harmonious and captivating play of colors. In the foreground, a solitary birch tree stands tall, adding depth and perspective to this miniature watercolor. The level of precision achieved within this tiny format is truly remarkable, showcasing Fanny Hjelm...

Ink and watercolor drawing by Carl Palme, dated 1921 and signed "CP," captures the narrow alleys of Positano. According to a note on the reverse, it is a study for an oil painting measuring 70x60 cm. Works from the early 20th century by Carl Palme are rare, making this piece particularly significant. Drawing 20x24cm. With frame 34x36cm Carl Adolf Palme (1879 – 1960) was a Swedish painter, draftsman, printmaker, and author. Born in Stockholm to bank director Henrik Palme and Anna Lavonius, he grew up on the Svalnäs estate, which is now a guest home and senior residence. Palme's artistic education began in London at the Slade School of Fine Art (1900–1901). He then studied at Wassily Kandinsky's art school in Munich from 1902 to 1904. In 1907, he moved to Paris and became the first Swedish student of Henri Matisse. Palme was instrumental in founding the Académie Matisse, a collective of young Swedish and Norwegian artists who rented a large studio in Paris. Matisse visited weekly to critique their work. This group included notable artists such as Isaac Grünewald, Sigrid Hjertén, and Einar Jolin...

Watercolor painting depicting a nocturnal scene of Venice, featuring a gondola gliding slowly through the water under a full moon, by Karl Bergquist. Signed and dated "K Bergquist Ve...

This painting, created around 1935, showcases Axel Olson's experimentation with surrealism during the 1930s. Executed with a technique reminiscent of pointillism, the artwork capture...

This evocative pastel painting by Victor Jernbergh, dated 1917, captures the serene and enchanting scene of a river at dusk. The central composition is dominated by a lone pine tree ...

Carl Oscar Borg (1879–1947) An Old Military Road, The Road over Dovrefjell, Norway gouache on paper, ca. 1900 signed sheet 12.5 cm x 17.5 (4.9 x 6.9 in) framed 23 × 28 cm (9 × 11...

ink on paper signed OSC. LYCKE unframed 24 x 34 cm (9.4 x 13.4 in) framed 33.5 x 43.5 cm (13.2 x 17.1 in) Provenance: Acquired directly from Katarina Gunnarsson, who inherited the ...

A rare and atmospheric work from Carl Oscar Borg’s early years in Sweden, this evocative gouache captures the tradition of Easter fires (påskeldar) in the rural region of Dalsland. A...

A Tranquil Dawn by the Lake A serene, wind‑still dawn scene in watercolor: a woman and a man in a small boat moored to a jetty, both with their backs to the viewer as they tend to th...

Carl Oscar Borg (1879-1947) Swedish/American Inscription Rock, New Mexico gouache on card signed CARL OSCAR BORG. unframed: 12 x 17.5 cm (4 3/4 x 6 7/8 in) framed: 22 x 27 cm (8 5/...

A fine Italian watercolor and sepia drawing, an allegory of summer. People harvesting, eating and drinking in a hilly landscape, probably by Antonio Grano (c.1669-1718). In the fron...

Executed in 1911, this ink and crayon drawing by Oscar Lycke captures the quiet clarity of early summer in northern Sweden. A hillside meadow, dotted with loosely gathered hay, unfol...

"A Värmland Landscape" is a watercolor painting by Ture Ander, an artist who was a member of the Racken Group. This artwork, incorrectly titled "Vår i Värml...

This watercolor by Robert Thegerström, a Swedish painter, draftsman, and graphic artist, captures a serene winter scene from 1908. The artwork presents a frozen lake bathed in warm s...

Drawn at Danviken Hospital between 1841 and 1842. Swedish art of the late 19th and early 20th centuries would appear significantly diminished if the works of artists who struggled w...

This watercolor by Hilding Linnqvist who was a Swedish artist born in 1891 and passed away in 1984. Linnqvist, known for his association with the Naïvist movement, often described as...

Discover this watercolor "Sunset Sailors" by Carl L. Lindqvist (1856-1941). Step into the enchanting world of the Swedish artist Carl L. Lindqvist with his captivating watercolor pa...

We are proud to present an exquisite drawing by the renowned artist Christian Berg (1893-1976), executed around the 1920s. This captivating artwork port...

This enchanting painting by Arvid Jacobsson (Jacobson)(1881–1966), executed in 1908, offers a captivating view of St. Eriksbron as seen from Stadshagen on Kungsholmen. Jacobsson has ...

Hilding Werner (1880-1944) Sweden 

Barns Buildings at Ruds Säteri, 1900

 watercolor on paper
unframed 21.5 x 31 cm (8.46 x 12.2 inches)
 framed 22 x 40 cm (8.66 x 15.75 inches)
 ...

The artwork we present is a rare watercolor by the distinguished Swedish artist August Hagborg, painted in the later part of his career between 1910 and 1920. This watercolour is a departure from Hagborg's often-seen beach scenes with mussel pickers and instead offers a glimpse into a serene, pastoral moment. The scene is set against a timber house, with a man and a woman standing alongside, their gazes directed away from the viewer, which invites contemplation about the story behind their distant stares. Watercolors by Hagborg are rare, making this piece particularly special. Its fine details suggest a mastery of the medium, likely honed over the years of his extensive career. A written letter from Göteborgs Konstmuseum, dated to the 1940s, suggests a later date for this piece. August Hagborg, born on May 26, 1852, in Gothenburg and passed away on April 30, 1921, in Paris, was a renowned figure in the art world. His education at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in Stockholm from 1871 to 1874 placed him among peers who would rise to prominence, such as Carl Larsson and Anders Zorn. Moving to Paris in the fall of 1875, Hagborg initially painted within the costume genre before finding his niche in coastal landscapes that garnered him accolades and recognition. Hagborg's success was punctuated by his 1879 painting...

Caleb Althin (1866-1919) The Man Who Stole the Magic Horn Caleb Althin studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm 1885–1894 with a few years break for studies abroad in decor...