In the exhibition catalogue for “A Divided Life”, Moderna Museet, Iris Müller-Westerman writes about the painting in question: ‘The gallerist Signe Schultz (1894-1960) is portrayed from the front, sitting cross-legged in an armchair. She is wearing her outerwear and beret, and looks as if she is about to go somewhere. Beneath her thick, open fur coat is an elegant crimson dress. With one hand in the coat pocket and the other hanging over the armrest, Signe Schultz looks a little tense and hesitant. Her gaze does not seek out the viewer, but remains unapproachably introspective. The artworks in the room tell us about the environment she is in. With great skill, Laserstein evokes the soft brown texture of the fur, emphasising Signe's jewellery: the ring, bracelet and earrings. The drawings hanging on the wall behind the art dealer form a grid that emphasises her figure and frames her head. Here sits a confident, ambitious businesswoman about to leave her gallery.

Since 1928, Signe Schultz had run Galerie Moderne at Nybrokajen in Stockholm together with her sister Alice Lagerbjelke. An invitation to exhibit her work in the Swedish capital enabled Lotte Laserstein to leave Germany in 1937, taking many of her most important works with her. The sisters' exhibition invitation would prove to save Laserstein's life.