At the end of the 1920s, Else Berg painted herself as a painter, dressed in a black artist's smock, with brushes and a palette as attributes of her profession. With furrowed brows, she looks concentratedly into the mirror she must have used. Due to that facial expression and the dark colors, the painting has a somber feel, an impression further intensified by the somewhat oppressive, shallow space behind her, closed off by a drab wall. On the right side, there is an opaque window. A cactus in a pot on the windowsill seems to emphasize Else Berg's somewhat prickly facial expression.