Frøken Caroline Sophie Møller 1830

Constantin Hansen painted this portrait of Frøken Caroline Sophie Møller using oil on canvas, but the exact date of its creation remains unknown. We can use this image to gain insights into the cultural values of 19th-century Denmark. The subject’s clothing and hairstyle, for instance, indicate her social standing, but the relative simplicity of the portrait also suggests broader cultural values. Commissioning a portrait was an act of self-definition for families, and the way the sitter is presented tells us something about how they wished to be seen. Portraits like this are invaluable resources for social historians. The archives of the National Gallery in Copenhagen would hold details of other works by Hansen, and these can be used to establish the time in which it was made. Auction records would reveal who commissioned it and what it would have cost. Together, these give the work its full social and institutional context.