Christmas Day 1900. Composition sketch

Ancher worked on the composition for the large-scale Christmas Day 1900 for a long time, and the image changed along the way – including the identity and number of sitters. In this sketch, the women featured in the final version are accompanied by Degn and John Brøndum – Anna's brothers.
This may have been a very early version of the composition: Ancher originally came up with the idea for the painting when he saw a photo from Christmas Day 1900 that not only included the two brothers, but also Michael himself. Thus, this sketch is part of the process of simplification that this composition underwent: Here, Ancher has initially restricted the cast of characters to only include members of the Brøndum family.
This particular version also includes more festive cheer than later drafts: a tray of porcelain stands ready on the table, and the family members appear to be engaged in conversation. Also, Helga is shown wearing a dress in a very seasonal red colour; this was subsequently changed to a subtler yellow.