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The portrait of Selma von der Heydt is rarely exhibited because it was painted with pastels on cardboard and is therefore very sensitive to light. In addition to the portrait of Selma von der Heydt, the Von der Heydt Museum owns another pastel drawing by the artist Alexander Frenz, which shows her husband, August von der Heydt, but is much less detailed. Both works on paper came into the museum's collection from the estate of his son, Eduard von der Heydt.

Alexander Frenz was born in Rheydt on the Lower Rhine and trained at the Düsseldorf Academy of Art. He then went to Munich to study with Franz von Lenbach, but soon returned to Düsseldorf. He became known as a Symbolist painter and received commissions for murals in public buildings and private homes, including in Elberfeld and for the Elberfeld Theatre. It was probably in this context that Frenz came into personal contact with the von der Heydt family and painted the portrait of Selma von der Heydt.

The sitter, who was 29 at the time, is shown in a three-quarters length portrait, her face framed by loosely pinned up hair with individual fine forelocks. Her open gaze looks past the viewer into the distance. A small, glossy ear ornament draws the observer's attention to her face, which is shown in much more detail than her upper body. Slightly rotated, she has been moved sideways into the picture: her left shoulder is in the foreground, her left arm is bent and her hand is resting loosely and relaxed on her décolleté. She is wearing a light grey, semi-transparent dress with a white-transparent flounced collar and a yellow bunch of roses. The background is a neutral pale pink. The elaborate decorative frame is somewhat at odds with the work's character as a preliminary study for a painting. It can be assumed that this is the original frame in which the work, and by extension the sitter, was also honoured in the private home of the von der Heydt family.

On the opposite side of the room are two bronze busts. They represent Selma von der Heydt's husband, August von der Heydt, and her son, Eduard von der Heydt. This first room brings together the three most important patrons of the museum. In recognition of their efforts, the Municipal Museum was renamed the Von der Heydt Museum in 1961.

Eduard von der Heydt was and still is often criticised for his actions during the Nazi era. He was a national conservative by origin and sentiment. In 1926 he joined the monarchist organisation Der Stahlhelm. After the 'Gleichschaltung' of Der Stahlhelm in 1933, membership of the NSDAP was an obvious choice, and he joined its foreign organisation. Von der Heydt initially saw Adolf Hitler and his party as an opportunity to strengthen national conservative forces in Germany. It is known that he was not ideologically convinced by National Socialism and was personally disappointed in 1934. Nevertheless, he remained well-balanced and did not publicly distance himself from the regime.

Eduard von der Heydt became a Swiss citizen in 1937 and lost his German citizenship. He was also expelled from the NSDAP. He fought successfully against this and was able to resign 'face-saving'.

Eduard von der Heydt was a member of the supervisory board of August Thyssen Bank until 1943. He himself had founded the bank in Berlin in 1925. It was only saved financially when the Thyssen brothers took it over in 1930.

The bank was close to the Nazis and had links with the Abwehr. In his role, von der Heydt carried out financial transactions for the Abwehr. After being questioned by the Swiss Federal Police in October 1943 on the basis of information from the American authorities, he resigned from the supervisory board of Thyssen Bank in November.

In 1946 Eduard von der Heydt was tried by a military tribunal. The case concerned payments made by Thyssen Bank to the German military intelligence service. He was acquitted in 1948 for lack of evidence. It is now clear that von der Heydt must have known who the money was intended for. These actions and the acquittal cast a shadow over von der Heydt's life, and the stigma of opportunist remains attached to him.