There are a number of interesting paintings of Østfold from the 18th and 19th centuries. Most of them were by Norwegian artists, but a few were also produced by Danish painters who came to Norway commissioned by the king of Denmark in Copenhagen. The motives were often from the areas around Halden, Fredrikstad and Sarpefossen. These were interesting because of their topography – Halden particularly, with the fortress standing dramatically over the harbour and the Iddefjord, and Sarpefossen, the biggest waterfall in Scandinavia; but also, in the case of the first two, from a military point of view (both Halden and Fredrikstad were important fortress towns).

Among the artists to have spent some time in Østfold are Johannes Flintoe (1767-1870), Ferdinand Gjøs (1790-1852), Peder Balke (1804-87), Gerhard Munthe (1849-1929), Jørgen Sørensen (1861-1894) and Thomas Fearnley (1802-1842).