In 1832, Sofia Ahlbom moved to Stockholm with her mother and sister, where she was able to support herself and her family solely as a professional artist: she never married, but lived with her mother and sister her entire life. She was described as a vivid personality with a practical and effective view on life: "A more bright look upon life and its circumstances, alongside a clearer mind and a more sensible head than that of mamsell Ahlbom, would be hard to find. She is, when it comes to business, so practical, that no male could be more so."Wilhelmina Stålberg, P. G. Berg: Anteckningar om svenska qvinnor (1864) Project Runeberg
