The Swiss-born Madame Elise Pfund (nèe Tschaggenny) (1833–1921) was the wife of James Pfund, the architect and Victorian Surveyor-General. In 1867 Elise Pfund established Oberwyl, a highly regarded girls’ private school in St Kilda, which continued to operate until 1931. The school was named after her home village of Oberwyl in Switzerland, and the institution gained a reputation for its French culture. Together with her husband, Madame Pfund was one of the important patrons of Roberts. Around this time Roberts also painted several portraits of Madame Pfund’s husband, James.