Chairmen of the Vyborg City Council

Twenty-five years after the election of Vyborg’s first councillors, the city wished to honour its three most prominent councillors, all of whom had served as Presidents of the Council: Bookseller Walter Hoving (left), Court of Appeal Judge Ludvig Clouberg (right) and Honorary Trade Counsellor Wilhelm Hackman (right). In their honour, it was decided to paint their portraits, and Albert Edelfelt was commissioned to undertake the work.

The artist proposed that he bring the friends together in the same painting. During the planning of the grouping, several photographs were taken in which Edelfelt himself stood in for one of the gentlemen. In addition, the artist made drawings and oil colour sketches of his models during the winter of 1902 in both Vyborg and his Helsinki studio.

The bearded gentlemen are grouped according to a classical triangular arrangement around a table, on which drawings of the city hall have been spread. There is another painting in the work: behind the men is Mikael Erassi’s Vyborg panorama, which was owned by the city.