Nils Andersson (Kättilstads parish, Östergötland 1817-1865 Vaxholm) went to Düsseldorf in 1851, the same year the painting was carried out. The first among Swedish artists to travel to Düsseldorf was Carl d'Unker (Stockholm 1828-1866 Düsseldorf), who traveled there in 1850. Andersson thus belonged to the pioneers among Swedish artists who traveled to Düsseldorf.

Andersson has in the picture incorporated a male figure wearing an antique soldier uniform reminiscent of the uniforms Dutch soldiers wore in the 17th century. The motif is probably intended to depict a future history painter on his way to Düsseldorf wearing accessories necessary for his future circle of motifs. Possibly it should be interpreted as an outcome of irony on And...