Anna Maria Lenngren was long established as a celebrated writer when Sergel did this portrait of her. She shot to fame while still young, and was elected to many learned societies. An early defender of women’s right to intellectual work, Lenngren’s emancipatory stance later weakened – but she continued as a social satirist with the nobility as her main target. Sergel’s portrait was likely a result of the Swedish Academy’s celebration of her in 1800.