Having studied for two years at the Finnish Art Society’s school in the Ateneum, Hugo Simberg travelled to Ruovesi to paint under the guidance of the artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela. Simberg lived with locals in the midst of the northern wilderness. Life in the hinterlands had is drawbacks. Food and lodgings were very basic, and the behaviour of his hosts sometimes left a lot to be desired. Already in his first place of lodging in Sammalisto’s cottage, Simberg’s romantic ideas of the unspoilt, indigenous inhabitants of the countryside were put to the test.