An elderly bearded man reclines against pillows in a bed, his eyes closed, one hand holding a pipe he is smoking, thin smoke rising toward the wall. A tongue-and-groove plank wall rises behind, with a pocket watch on a chain hanging at the right. In the foreground a cloth-covered table holds a coffee cup on a saucer among everyday objects. A garment and a walking stick hang on the wall at the left, casting a large soft shadow. Light from the right falls across the face, the pillow and the table, the strongest highlights in the print. Contrast is high, the left of the room falling to deep shadow.

The sitter is Anton Samuelsen, the photographer’s maternal grandfather. He appears in several works in the archive: as the close head-and-shoulders portrait Bedstefar, dated 1920, and in Livets strenger, where he is shown with a violin. Here he is photographed reclining in a domestic interior in Asker, surrounded by the still-life detail of the room.

Technical Details: Likely a gelatin silver print, soft in handling. No object inscription is recorded.

Prints are available for purchase on the website