The artist Lili Elbe was born as a boy under the name Einar Wegener and was one of the first transgender women to undergo gender reassignment surgery. Elbe was educated at the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen 1902–04, where she met the artist and painter Gerda Wegener (born Gottlieb) (1886–1940), whom she married in 1904. In 1912, the couple moved permanently to Paris, where they became part of the liberated international artist community. As young, Elbe painted motifs from her hometown of Vejle. Later in life she mainly worked with landscapes from the French provinces, such as the present work depicting a view of the longest river in France, the Loire.

Gerda Wegener often used Lili Elbe as a model for her portraits of women in her works and Elbe often painted the background for Gerda Wegeners paintings. Elbes involvement in Gerda Wegeners career did however lead to a decline in her own artistic pursuits. In 1930, Elbe began her gender reassignment operations in Berlin and Dresden, and she managed to be officially recognized as a woman with a new name and passport, and her marriage to Gerda Wegener was annulled. Lili Elbe died in 1931 of complications related to her operations.

Provenance: Bruun Rasmussen auction 2205, 2022 no. 663.