Career
He was mostly known as a socially oriented genre painter whose works depicted contemporary subjects, such as waiting rooms at railway stations or scenes from pawnshops. D'Unker's father was a Norwegian soldier, while his mother was Swedish. He began his career as a soldier and served in the Svea Life Guards for a short time.
In 1848 he volunteered for the First Schleswig War (1848-1849). Shortly after his return to Sweden he abandoned his military career in favor of an artistic one. He became a very popular artist on the continent.
From 1861 he suffered from sickness in his right arm and was forced to paint with his left arm. He made a brief visit to Sweden in 1865, and was appointed professor by the Swedish king Charles XV. He died the following year.
