Fritz Thaulow painter had stayed in Lervik on Stord in the period of 1888-89, at the same time as he made a breakthrough as a painter of winter motifs at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1889. He was then bought by the Luxembourg Museum in Paris and formed friendships with several of the leading French realists, especially their nestor, J.-L.-E. Meissonier (1815-91).

Thaulow then went to Seljord in Telemark, where he painted new winter motifs in January and February of 1890. The first version of the girl with skis, was shown at the new "Marsmark Salon" in Paris. Thaulow was one of the founders of this salon, opening on 15 May 1890. Thaulow´s exhibited painting, "Un jour d´hiver en Norvège" was acquired by the younger French painter Carolus-Duran (1837-1917).

The following year in 1891, he painted a pastel of the motif for reproduction in the Danish magazine "Juleroser" and published in 1893 by Ernst Bojesen (1849-1925). The reproduction was sold at the auction of Bojesen's bequeathed art collection in 1926, pictured in the catalog as no. 162, size 46 x 70 cm. The reproduction but has not later appeared on the art market.

The current version from 1892 has the same qualities as the first version from 1890 and has been seen at a couple of important exhibitions in recent times, both at "Frits Thaulow in the 1880s" at Stiftelsen Modums Blaafarveværk in 1979 no. 63 (catalogue authored by the undersigned) and at the Winter Land exhibition at Lillehammer 1993-94, no. 12, in connection with the Olympic Winter Games (various authors, the undersigned wrote about Thaulow and Gerhard Munthe).

A fourth version dated 1894 was painted to introduce Thaulow to a U.S. audience.

Thaulow's own recollection

Thaulow did not often comment on his older pictures. However, during a discussion about the Norwegian contribution to the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900, Erik Werenskiold asked if there were any pictures of him in French possession, that he could recommend as part of a publication on Norwegian painting. He wrote back, among other things: "Then Carolus Duran has a large winter picture with a Telemark girl on skis, it can also be photographed". (4/8-1900, Letter Collection 98, National Library, Oslo).