Anders Zorn

In 1887, the Zorns were finally able to visit Spain and the Mediterranean together. Their journey went through Algiers, where they arrived at the turn of January and February. On March 27, they took a boat from Oran to Tangier and Gibraltar, from where they continued to Cádiz.

From Cádiz, the journey continued via Seville to Granada, where they arrived on April 27, 1887. Granada and Alhambra were essential destinations for foreign artists who made it all the way to Andalusia. Zorn, who had never before reached as far as Granada, checked into the popular inn with Emma. The first subject from Alhambra is a sunny interior from the palace, which, with its emphasis on Moorish architecture, aligns with several of his watercolors from Algiers earlier that year. Johan Cederlund writes in his book Zorn in Spain (2009): "There is no question of any romanticizing orientalism. Instead, it is the light and the dissolution of colors that interest Zorn. He acts as a 'plein-air' painter and lets forms and contours merge. [...] Zorn's interior from Alhambra, however, was just a footnote in his production. Zorn was not born to paint architecture; his focus was on women and landscapes." Emma describes in letters home how he worked: "If only he could find some peace in his soul. But it is impossible. All day long, he thinks he must paint, and in the evenings, he believes there must be something somewhere that he should see." Zorn himself summarizes it in his autobiographical notes: "I painted several things there, mostly girls in white dresses, park interiors, gypsy women, etc. Wonderful time."

In May, the Zorns left Granada and began their journey home. The relevant watercolor was given as a wedding present to Ellen and Otto Rooth, who married in May of that year. Emma Lamm and Otto Rooth had been childhood friends since the 1860s when both families had their summer retreats on Lidingö. The captivating portrait of the young Spanish woman with the intense gaze testifies to Zorn's outstanding watercolor technique