Tilly Moes was born in 1899 in Düsseldorf as Sofia Theodora ('Fia') van Driel. In 1927, she married painter Nico Bruijnenstein, whom she had met at the Academy, in The Hague. The artistic couple earned a living by selling their own work. They were particularly proud that they had survived the Depression of the 1930s in this way without being dependent on public assistance. Under the pseudonym Tilly Moes, Sofia primarily painted floral still lifes. She deliberately chose to paint under a pseudonym because she felt that this so-called 'bread work' was of insufficient quality to bear her own name. Her artworks with sunflowers and poppies, in particular, quickly became an unprecedented success. Besides the mass-produced floral still lifes under the name Tilly Moes, Fia also painted works under her own name. Since the artwork from the De Witte Zwaan Collection bears the signature "Tilly Moes," it is likely one of many pieces she painted en masse for her large clientele. However, this says nothing at all about the quality of the work. This popular "bread and butter" is clearly a good piece, even if she herself may not have been convinced of this.