enthralled by her beauty, and she became his first model. They married in 1886 but their first child died at birth the same year. In 1891, Hulda gave birth to twins but died during the delivery. It was not easy to make a living from art in Linköping but Krouthén ensured an income by organizing a number of art lotteries with his paintings as prizes and by painting private gardens in the area. The painting Spring in the garden (1886) depicts Linköping's Biskopträdgården. It is based on a photograph Krouthén took of the scene. The painting originally included both a man and a woman but the man was painted over and a quince bush was added. When exhibited at the Salon in Paris in 1889, the painting earned Krouthén a gold medal. Several other Swedish artists received awards at the Salon, which represented a breakthrough for the Impressionists. A comparison between the photograph and the finished painting shows that Krouthén abandoned Realism in favour of Idealism. He was not content with reality without adding light and shade. When interviewed, Krouthén explained that a painter must skillfully and accurately paint nature at its best. During the 1880s he began painting portraits and interiors. Just as in his garden paintings, his interiors often include completely passive figures. One of the most famous is a painting showing librarian Erik Hjalmar Segerstéen, in his home. Segerstéen was one of Krouthén's patrons, and the painting shows him surrounded by his art collection, including works by Krouthén. Following the death in childbirth of his wife Hulda in 1891, Krouthén and his children moved to the Gottfridsberg district of Linköping. In 1902 he married Clara Söderlund. During the 1890s he became increasingly well-known, receiving many painting assignments, including portraits of famous Linköpingers. He was also hired to do paintings for churches, including altarpieces for Kärna Church, Vånga Church, and St. Laurence Church in Linköping. Krouthén's later career, with paintings of red wooden cottages and flowering trees, was rather uninteresting from an artistic point of view. In 1909 he moved to Stockholm with his family, acquiring a studio at Valhallavägen. He exhibited quite often in Stockholm, his main clientele continuing to be from the Linköping area. He was not particularly interested in contemporary art, explaining: "Art and culture have deteriorated tremendously. Modern art is neither art nor modern. All the isms people talk about are pretty pointless if