''Albertine in the Police Doctor's Waiting-Room'' ( no, Albertine i politilægens venteværelse; completed 1887) is a naturalist

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

by the

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

artist

Christian Krohg Christian Krohg (13 August 1852 – 16 October 1925) was a Norwegian naturalist painter, illustrator, author and journalist. Krohg was inspired by the realism art movement and often chose motifs from everyday life. He was the director and s ...

, showing the scene in a medical waiting-room. ''Albertine in the Police Doctor's Waiting-Room'' is regarded as Krohg's principal work as a social painter. The painting touched upon the taboo subject of sexual life, and led to a heated debate among his contemporaries. The format of the painting is unusually large, the figures in it being portrayed at full scale. The painting is held in the

National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

, formerly the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

, in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

The painting

The painting depicts a scene in a police doctor's waiting-room. "Albertine" is the next person who will enter the examination room. She is dressed in a simple costume, in contrast to the other women in the room, who are dolled up in colorful dresses, typical of the prostitutes of the period.

Ownership history

The painting was placed in a "hut" (Norwegian holiday home built in wood, often rather large) for nearly twenty years, until it was eventually sold. In 1907 the buyer resold the painting to the National Gallery of Norway.

Related works

Krohg had created several earlier paintings based on the fate of the unmarried

seamstress A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes custom clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician. Nota ...

"Albertine", who is eventually forced into prostitution by the social system of the time. Other related paintings are ''Daggry'' from 1880 (at

Statens Museum for Kunst The National Gallery of Denmark ( da, Statens Museum for Kunst, also known as "SMK", literally State Museum for Art) is the Danish national gallery, located in the centre of Copenhagen. The museum collects, registers, maintains, researches and han ...

in Copenhagen), ''Sypiken'' from 1881 (at

Göteborgs Konstmuseum Gothenburg Museum of Art ( sv, Göteborgs konstmuseum) is located at Götaplatsen in Gothenburg, Sweden. It claims to be the third largest art museum in Sweden by size of its collection. Collections The museum holds the world's finest collect ...

), and ''Trett'' from 1885 (at the National Gallery in Oslo). He explored the same subject in his novel '' Albertine'', written in 1886. The debate following the publishing and confiscation of the novel expedited the abolition of public

prostitution in Norway Prostitution in Norway is illegal and a criminal act when sexual acts are purchased, but not when sold. The Norwegian law prohibiting the buying of sexual acts came into effect on 1 January 2009, following the passing of new legislation by the Norw ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Albertine in the Police Doctor's Waiting-Room 1887 paintings Paintings by Christian Krohg Paintings in the collection of the National Gallery (Norway) Prostitution in paintings Prostitution in Norway