The foremost challenge a sculptor could undertake in the 19th century was to depict full–length human figures. This required knowledge of anatomy and study of the nude body. Here, women faced limited opportunities. The main reason state art academies denied women access to art studies was that they deemed it inappropriate for men and women to work from nude models in the same room. However, it is a myth that this was an insurmountable barrier. In Paris, several private schools offered women instruction in figure drawing from life. Académie Colarossi, where Tønnesen studied in 1893, was one such school. The result was the statues A Crab (1892), The Water Lily (1894) og Nude (unfinished) (1890s).