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Anna Nordlander Paintings: The 11 Most Famous, Through a Gallery's Eye
Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 11 works by Anna Nordlander in our catalogue
In short
To the gallery's eye, Anna Nordlander's most famous painting is By a Sickbed (1870), whose original hangs in the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. Poor Boys (1872) and At the Suspended Cradle. Study (1870) complete the trio every eye recognises. Of the 11 works by Anna Nordlander in our catalog, the gallery presents the 11 most famous below, each original with its year, its museum and what makes it unique.
1843 – 1879, Skellefteå
Most works: Nationalmuseum
The gallery's top 10 Anna Nordlander paintings
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Anna Nordlander paintings, ranked 11 to 11
The museums that keep Anna Nordlander's originals
The museum that holds the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Anna Nordlander | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Nationalmuseum |
Stockholm | 11 | By a Sickbed, Poor Boys, At the Suspended Cradle. Study |
Anna Nordlander, the signature paintings of each year
Anna Nordlander's dated originals on this page fall within 3 years, 1870 to 1872: the gallery shows the most famous of each.
Works per year
Pick a year to see its originals.
Anna Nordlander's paintings: the gallery answers
Which Anna Nordlander painting is the most famous of all?Reveal the answer
By a Sickbed (1870), Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. Poor Boys (1872) and At the Suspended Cradle. Study (1870) come next.
How old was Anna Nordlander on completing By a Sickbed?Reveal the answer
27 years old: By a Sickbed dates from 1870, and Anna Nordlander was born in 1843.
Which are Anna Nordlander's top 10 paintings?Reveal the answer
By a Sickbed, Poor Boys, At the Suspended Cradle. Study, Two Skiing Sami. Study, Side-Face Portrait of a Boy, Portal's Manor. Study, Mountain Village II. Study, The Backyard. Study, Landscape with Forest and River. Study and Winter Landscape in Norrland. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
How many works did Anna Nordlander create?Reveal the answer
Our catalog holds 11 works by Anna Nordlander, dated from 1870 to 1872.
Where do Anna Nordlander's most famous originals hang?Reveal the answer
Mostly in Nationalmuseum (Stockholm). The museum table above lists them all.
When did Anna Nordlander create the most famous paintings?Reveal the answer
In 1870: 2 of the 11 works on this page were made then, By a Sickbed among them.
Which are Anna Nordlander's earliest and latest famous works?Reveal the answer
On this page, the earliest is By a Sickbed (1870) and the latest Poor Boys (1872).
Which Anna Nordlander originals does the Nationalmuseum hold?Reveal the answer
By a Sickbed, Poor Boys and At the Suspended Cradle. Study: the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm holds 11 of the works on this page.
Anna Nordlander: the artist
A Life in Skellefteå
The vicarage at Skellefteå holds the beginning of Anna Catharina Nordlander’s story. Born in 1843 to Nils Nordlander and Anna Maria Gestrin, she grows up within a well-to-do home where sisters are educated by governesses. The air of northern Sweden carries the influence of Johan Fredrik Höckert, who visits the family parsonage in 1850. This encounter leaves a mark; his depictions of Lappland motifs become a foundation for her own vision.
Training begins at Slöjdskolan and moves toward the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts. By 1866, she enters the women’s section of the Academy. Her path leads away from the familiar comforts of Västerbotten County to the studios of Europe. In Brussels, she studies under Jean-François Portaels. Later, the lights of Paris and the halls of the Académie Julian provide new technical rigor under Jules Lefebvre and Tony Robert-Fleury.
The Forest Sami and the Painted Word
Nordlander does not merely observe; she transforms. While many artists of her era approach the North through a lens of distance, she brings an intimate familiarity to the lives of the Forest Sami. Her brush captures the specificities of their existence—the interiors of dwellings and the quiet dignity of their people.
Her technique moves toward a semi-naturalist style. She utilizes broad brush-strokes and warm colours to ground her subjects in reality. Notable works include:
- Lappflicka and Lappbarn: Portraits that focus on the human element of the Sami people.
- Sjuk lapp: An interior scene reflecting a somber, quiet reality.
- Vid hängvaggan: A composition using a religious iconographic colour scheme, where a young woman wears a blue calotte and a white dress.
- Två skidande lappar: A study of movement across a horizon-less landscape under heavy snow.
A Legacy Reclaimed
The momentum of her career is cut short by tuberculosis. She dies in 1879 at the age of 34 or 36, before her full body of work can reach its peak. For decades, her name recedes from the public eye, a casualty of the era's social expectations that discouraged women from being public figures.
The late 20th century brings a shift in recognition. Her work finds its way into the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm and other significant collections. In 1995, the Museum Anna Nordlander is established in Skellefteå to preserve her drawings, watercolours, and oil paintings. This institution ensures that her specific contribution to Swedish genre and nature painting remains visible.