The illustrator Olaf Gulbransson (1873–1958) devoted himself to the genre of caricature and satire. Over the course of his career, drawing came to be viewed as a distinct art form, even as a myriad of humour magazines and satirical publications came into being.

Gulbransson achieved his artistic breakthrough with his illustrations for the series Trangviksposten, which satirized the role of the press in narrow-minded small towns. The series was originally published in the newspaper Aftenposten and then as a book in 1901. That same year he caricatured well-known figures from the contemporary Norwegian cultural elite in the series 24 Caricatures. Gulbransson moved to Germany in 1902 and signed a contract with Simplicissimus, one of Europe’s leading satire magazines.

He also published his own books, worked as a freelance illustrator, and created set designs, costume designs, and marionettes for theatres. As a satirist, he represented a political direction within Art Nouveau. He challenged the culture and power elites, but he also drew several caricatured self-portraits. Gulbransson is regarded as one of the foremost Art Nouveau artists in his field in both Norway and Germany.