On December 26, 1913, Richard Gustafsson wrote to his friend Carl Larsson to express his gratitude for a Christmas gift. In the letter, he described how he and his family had celebrated Christmas Eve at their eldest son's home and returned home late, only to be surprised by the presence of "a friendly Santa Claus who had been up on the hill and left a Christmas gift." The gift was the painting "Dom spritar ärter/ Ärtspritning," created by Carl Larsson in 1908. He also wrote:

"I have had a couple of paintings from your hand before… from your youth… and they have always been dear to me, but the painting you have now gifted me with will certainly double my joy in old age, for it is the epitome of the genre with which you have etched yourself into the heart of the Swedish people. As long as my eyes can see, I will rejoice in your bright image from the Larsson dynasty[...]."

As Gustafsson described, the painting depicts the artist's family in the studio at Lilla Hyttnäs in Sundborn. In the painting, you can see his wife, Karin, together with their two youngest children, Kersti and Esbjörn, deeply engrossed in shelling peas. In a comment on bringing household chores into the studio, the artist wrote: "Yes, even this they do, Karin, Brita, and Esbjörn, in my private studio! I am a pushover!"

Behind the family, you can catch a glimpse of a large-scale sketch for Larsson's ceiling mural, "Dramats skapelse" (The Creation of Drama), intended for the The Royal Theater's grand marble foyer. It is propped against the wall behind the ladder that Carl Larsson likely used to reach the expansive surface with his chalk.

In "Dom spritar ärter/ Ärtspritning," the sun streams into the studio, filling the room with light, which is a theme related to Carl Larsson's book "Åt solsidan" from 1910, where this painting is included. He explains the book's title in the opening paragraph: "Åt solsidan. That's what the book will be called this time. We do have windows on all sides, but, of course, the name is symbolic. We want to have sun in our lives just as we want to have it in our rooms."

Behind Karin, the artist has painted a cactus on a tall flower stalk from which a flower has bloomed. Flowers and plants were important elements in Carl Larsson's artistic work. He wrote in "Åt solsidan" ("Towards the Sun"): "Most often, it's a flower that first captures me, and I cannot find peace in my soul until I have painted it [...]." Karin's dress also provides an opportunity for Carl Larsson to study and capture the delicately decorative qualities of nature. The blue dress with white floral details recurs in the painting "Brudtärnan" (The Bridesmaid), also created in 1908 and included in "Åt solsidan." Together with the sketch for the The Royal Theater's ceiling in the background, the dress creates a contrast to the sharp lines of the furniture, forming a composition filled with dynamism.