Carl Larsson’s portrait of the plein-air painter Carl Skånberg was made in 1878, during a period of intense contact among the Swedes in Paris. There were two major opportunities where they could present their work: the big World’s Fair and the usual Salon. This portrait was accepted by the Salon and was praised by Larsson’s artist colleagues – unlike many of his other works from this period, which were considered too academic and thus outmoded.