Kvindeudstillingens-Kunstudstilling enhanced

The Women's Exhibition from the Past and Present ( da, Kvindernes Udstilling fra Fortid og Nutid) held in Copenhagen in 1895 was an art and culture exhibition for women from the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...

. Inspired by the

1893 World's Fair The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

in Chicago, it was designed to demonstrate how far Nordic women had advanced in the areas of education, employment and art. The first of its kind in Europe, it was considered a great success.

Background

Kvindeudstillingens-gamle-og-nye-koekken

The Chicago World's Fair in 1893 had impressed Danish visitors with its

Woman's Building The Woman's Building was a non-profit arts and education center located in Los Angeles, California. The Woman's Building focused on feminist art and served as a venue for the women's movement and was spearheaded by artist Judy Chicago, graphic de ...

containing presentations of art and literature.

Sophie Oxholm Sophie Marguerite Oxholm née Bech (25 December 1848 – 3 September 1935) was a Danish noblewoman who was active in the initial planning of the 1895 Copenhagen Women's Exhibition. She was the owner of Rosenfeldt at Vordingborg from 1914 to 1935. ...

(1848–1935), who had visited the exhibition, was obviously impressed by the exhibition, especially the show of Danish needlework. On her return to Denmark, she immediately brought a number of influential women together with a view to arranging a Nordic women's exhibition in Copenhagen the following year. Despite initial enthusiasm, as a result of budgetary and management problems, it was announced in February 1894 that the exhibition would not be held until 1895. Oxholm, who experienced difficulty in managing the arrangements, gave up her position as head of the coordinating committee in early 1895. She was replaced by Bertha Buch of the Women's Society but it was Emma Gad (1852–1921) who proved to be the most effective member. Appointed deputy chair, Gad managed to complete all the arrangements on time. These included selecting the site of the exhibition which was ultimately shared between the Industrial Association building (''Industriforeningen''), which had been built in connection with the 1872 Nordic Exhibition, and the premises of

Den Frie Udstilling Den Frie Udstilling ('The Free Exhibition') is a Danish artists' association, founded in 1891 by artists in protest against the admission requirements for the Kunsthal Charlottenborg. Modeled on the Salon des Refusés, it is Denmark's oldest ass ...

. It was therefore possible for the exhibition to open on 22 June 1895 in the presence of Queen Louise.

Exhibition

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In addition to exhibits from Denmark, the exhibition contained areas specifically dedicated to the Danish provinces and overseas territories (

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

and

Danish West Indies The Danish West Indies ( da, Dansk Vestindien) or Danish Antilles or Danish Virgin Islands were a Danish colonization of the Americas, Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Saint Thomas ...

) as well as to Norway and Sweden. There are records of the 2,415 exhibits covering painting, curiosities (including items associated with celebrated women), arts and crafts, costumes, jewellery (including gold- and silverware), literature (manuscripts, journals and books) and appliances. There were also separate listings of exhibits relating to housekeeping, philanthropy, hygiene, education, household crafts (spinning and weaving, leather, wood, embroidery, silk painting, and

whitework Whitework embroidery is any embroidery technique in which the stitching is the same color as the foundation fabric (traditionally white linen). Styles of whitework embroidery include most drawn thread work, broderie anglaise, Hardanger embroider ...

), music and art. For the Den Frie Udstilling building, there was a separate inventory of 301 artworks, paintings and sculptures, listed by artist.

Key organizers

The two women who were instrumental in organizing the exhibition were Sophie Oxholm and, above all, Emma Gad.

Outcome

The Women's Exhibition was a great success. Not only was it appreciated in Denmark and beyond, it made a substantial profit. Gad had hoped the money could be used for an independent "Women's Building" (''Kvindernes Bygning'') with a meeting room, reading room, restaurant and accommodation for women from the provinces. Work did not begin on the building until 1929. It was completed in 1937.

Exhibitors

Works by the following artists were included in the Women's Exhibition:

Sculptors

* Elna Borch * Henriette Diderichsen * Agnes Lunn (also painter) *

Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen (born Anne Marie Brodersen; 21 June 1863 – 21 February 1945) was a Danish sculptor. Her preferred themes were domestic animals and people, with an intense, naturalistic portrayal of movements and sentiments. She al ...

Johanne Pedersen-Dan Johanne Agnete Theresia Pedersen-Dan née Betzonich (1860–1934) was a Danish actress, singer and sculptor. After performing in plays and operettas in Copenhagen until 1888, she devoted the rest of her life to sculpture, frequently exhibiting he ...

Nielsine Petersen Nielsine Petersen (10 July 1851 – 26 November 1916) was a Danish sculptor. Biography Nielsine Caroline Petersen was born at Nyrup in the parish Højby on the island of Zealand, Denmark. She was the daughter of Mads Petersen (1875-1884) and Kirst ...

* Adelgunde Vogt (posthumous)

Composers

* Johanne Amalie Fenger *

Nanna Liebmann Nanna Magdalene Liebmann (September 27, 1849 – May 11, 1935) was a Danish, music educator, music critic, concert promoter and composer. She studied at The Royal Danish Academy of Music with Victor Bendix, Johann Christian Gebauer, J.P.E. Hartm ...

* Elisabeth Meyer * Tekla Griebel Wandall

Painters

Anna Ancher Anna Ancher (18 August 1859 – 15 April 1935) was a Danish artist associated with the Skagen Painters, an artist colony on the northern point of Jylland, Denmark. She is considered to be one of Denmark's greatest visual artists. Background An ...

* Marie Bang * Ville Bang * Brita Barnekow * Louise Bonfils * Alfrida Baadsgaard * Clara Carl *

Anthonore Christensen Anthonie Eleonore Christensen, generally known as Anthonore Christensen, née Tscherning (1849–1926) was a Danish flower painter. She exhibited from 1867 at Charlottenborg, winning the medal of the year in 1893. As a painting teacher, her stude ...

Augusta Dohlmann Augusta Dohlmann also known as ''Henriette Augusta Johanne Dohlmann'' (1847–1914) was a Danish painter. She was known for her flower painting. Biography Dohlmann was born in Frederiksberg on 9 May 1847. In 1878 she traveled to Paris to study F ...

* Charlotte Frimodt * Johanne Frimodt * Henriette Hahn-Brinckmann * Ane Marie Hansen *

Marie Henriques Marie Henriques (26 June 1866 – 12 January 1944) was a Danish painter who created landscapes, figure paintings and portraits, initially in the Realist style but increasingly under the influence of Impressionism. She also painted watercolours of ...

Sophie Holten Sophie Holten (1858–1930) was a Danish painter who created portraits, flower paintings and genre works. She is remembered in particular for her portraits of August Strindberg and L. A. Ring. She was also active in social work and feminism. Bi ...

* Susette Holten *

Elise Konstantin-Hansen Elise Konstantin-Hansen (1858–1946) was a Danish painter and ceramist. She developed her own naturalistic style, often painting sea birds, animals, plants and beach scenes. Early life and education Konstantin-Hansen was born in the Frederiks ...

Johanne Cathrine Krebs Johanne Cathrine Krebs (21 April 1848 - 1 April 1924) was a Danish painter and women's rights activist. She was known for her portrait painting. She was active in establishing the women's department of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Bio ...

* Birgitte Levison * Agnes Lunn (also sculptor) *

Marie Luplau Henriette Marie Antonette Luplau (September 7, 1848 – August 16, 1925) was a Danish artist and educator, active in the women's movement. She conducted an art school for women in Copenhagen with her partner, artist Emilie Mundt. Early life and ...

* Augusta Læssøe * Emma Løffler * Emma Meyer * Jenny Meyer * Emilie Mundt * Bertha Nathanielsen *

Dagmar Olrik Dagmar Olrik (1860–1932) was a Danish painter and tapestry artist. She is remembered for her weaving and tapestry work, in particular for decorating a room in Copenhagen's City Hall with tapestries based on cartoons of Nordic mythology created ...

Anna Petersen Anna Sophie Lorenze Petersen (20 February 1845 – 6 October 1910) was a Danish painter. Although she showed some promise as an artist, specifically in genre painting, she struggled to find a place in the male-dominated Danish art world of th ...

* Marie Preetzmann *

Louise Ravn-Hansen Louise Christiane Ravn-Hansen (19 July 1849, in Copenhagen – January 1909, in the Havel River, near Schwanenwerder) was a Danish landscape painter and etcher. Biography Her father was a railroad stoker. She lost both parents when she was ei ...

* Holga Reinhard * Marie Sandholt * Charlotte Sannom * Laura Sarauw * Elisabeth Schiøtt * Ida Schiøttz-Jensen * Mimi Schwartzkopf * Anna Smidth * Olga Smith * Edma Stage *

Emma Thomsen Emma Alice Thomsen née Lange (21 November 1863 – 15 January 1910) was an attractive Danish actress who performed mainly in Vaudeville productions at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen. Described as "the world's most beautiful women" by th ...

Emmy Thornam Emmy Marie Caroline Thornam (1852–1935) was a self-supporting Danish artist who specialized in flower painting. Initially trained in landscaping, she was later a student of the Danish flower-painter before completing her studies in Paris unde ...

Ludovica Thornam Ludovica Anine Vilhelmine Augusta Thornam (30 November 1853 – 27 May 1896) was a Danish portrait and genre painter. Biography Ludovica Thornam was born at Horsens in Jutland, Denmark. She was the daughter of Ludvig Thornam (1819–79) and An ...

* Elisabeth Tornøe * Nicoline Tuxen *

Elisabeth Wandel Elisabeth Christiane Alvina Wandel, née Møller (January 14, 1850 - December 28, 1926) was a Danish painter. She was known for her portraits and landscape paintings. Biography Møller was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. She was the daughter of Andr ...

Bertha Wegmann Bertha Wegmann (1847–1926) was a Danish portrait painter of German ancestry. She was the first woman to hold a chair at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Life When Bertha Wegmann was five years old, her family moved to Copenhagen, where her ...

Posthumous

* Elisabeth Jerichau Baumann * Juliane Hammer (died shortly before the opening) * Eleonore Christine Harboe * Hanne Hellesen * Marie Knudsen * Julie Lütken * Christine Løvmand * Sophie Madsen *

Hermania Neergaard Hermania Sigvardine Neergaard (1799–1875) was a Danish flower and still-life painter. A student of Frederik Christian Camradt (1762–1844), she exhibited her paintings in Charlottenborg where several were bought by the royal family. Biograph ...

* Bolette Puggaard * Georgia Skovgaard (two sketchbooks from Italian travels 1854-55 and eight embroideries) * Mariane Stub * Eleonora Tscherning

References

{{Reflist

External links

Source
1895 in Copenhagen Events in Copenhagen Festivals established in 1895 19th century in Copenhagen Art exhibitions in Denmark Women and the arts National exhibitions History of women in Denmark 1895 in women's history 1895 in art