Facts about the portraits:

• It was founder Caroline Boman Hansen who came up with the idea and bought the first 30 portraits from painter Henrik Lund, who had drawn her café friends.
• The first hanging took place in 1924, when Hotel Continental and the founder of Theatercaféen, Caroline Boman Hansen, bought a couple of portraits that Henrik Lund had drawn of the regulars. Henrik Lund's son, Knut Henrik Lund, recounts the ceremony: "Together with Mrs. Caroline Boman Hansen, we hung up my father's pictures. Afterwards we were served champagne and something good to eat."
• One of these guests is author André Bjerke. His portrait was hung in 1982 and is now on the wall by the entrance. 11 years after he wrote the poem "Caféen med veggene" as a tribute to his hometown.
• The criteria for being selected are that the person must be a regular guest at Theatercaféen or Hotel Continental, and be an artist/cultural personality.
• Of the 87 people who have had their portraits hung on the walls of Theatercaféen, there are nine survivors: Arve Tellefsen, Jens Johannessen, Trygve Hegnar, Morten Krogvold, Bjarte Hjelmeland, Liv Ullmann, Kåre Conradi, Pia Tjelta and Maria Bonnevie.
• The work and backgrounds of the people portrayed cover a wide range. A large proportion are actors and theater people. This is followed by a group of writers, critics, literary and art historians. Visual artists, musicians and composers are also well represented. There are also several journalists, members of the press and national broadcasters on the walls. Among Hotel Continental and Theatercaféens own people, we find maitre d' Axel Berg and third-generation owner Ellen Brochmann.
• Twenty artists have contributed to the collection so far. The biggest contributors are Henrik Lund, Gösta Hammarlund, Pedro and Ulf Aas. Per Palle Storm, Nils Aas, Finn Graff and Esra Caroline Røise have also drawn several portraits. Odd Nerdrum, Anne Raknes, Yokon Gjelseth, Audun Hetland, Per Elvestuen, Jan Thomas Njerve, Kristoffer Sinding-Larsen, Knud Hermod Knudsen, Steffen Kverneland, Esther Maria Bjørneboe, Arild Midthun and Sverre Malling have each drawn one portrait.

It remains to be seen who in the future will share Toralv Maurstad's certainty that, even in lonely moments, they will always be surrounded by festive people in the café, as he described in the speech he gave at the hanging of his own portrait in 1984: "At the same time, it is strange to know that every day from now on you will find yourself in good company among eating and talking and laughing and toasting people - good to know in lonely moments."