This thesis examines the self-portraits of the Swedish painter Axel Törneman (1880–1925) that he produced during his time in Paris, which have previously been mentioned only in passing. More specifically, it considers Törneman’s self-portraiture as not being a forthright reflection of experience, but rather as responses that inscribe the tension of the artist’s negotiation with his new socio-cultural environment. Through the employment of an object- and archive-based structure, this study uncovers and illuminates how the conditions of bohemia and modernity in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Paris are registered and articulated through the self-portraits’ pictorial ensemble. The analysis reveals that the act of self-representation served both a cultural and existential function for Törneman, as the innate qualities of self-portraiture have been demonstrated to be an important asset in his attempt to anchor himself in the challenging environment of Paris. The evolving elements of composition and self-representation are argued to stand in relation to the continuous oscillation of identity created by the conditions of modernity, producing both the opportunity and need for a re-negotiation and re-invention of the self. In broader terms, the research suggests that Törneman’s self-portraits should be considered as a site that actively participates in his search for cultural, social, and artistic self-creation.