''Albertine'' is a novel written in 1886 by Norwegian painter and writer

Christian Krohg Christian Krohg (13 August 1852 – 16 October 1925) was a Norwegian naturalist painter, illustrator, author and journalist. Krohg was inspired by the realism art movement and often chose motifs from everyday life. He was the director and s ...

. The novel is set in Norway's capital, Christiania, and deals with the life of the unmarried

seamstress A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes custom clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician. Nota ...

Albertine, who is eventually forced into prostitution due to the social system of the time. The book was confiscated shortly after its publication. In 1888 the

Supreme Court of Norway The Supreme Court of Norway (Norwegian Bokmål: ''(Norges) Høyesterett''; Norwegian Nynorsk: ''(Noregs) Høgsterett''; lit. ‘Highest Court’) was established in 1815 on the basis of section 88 in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Norway, whi ...

upheld the confiscation, and Krohg was sentenced to pay a fine of . Krohg also made several paintings based on the "Albertine" motif, including ''Trett'' in 1885 and ''

Albertine i politilægens venteværelse ''Albertine in the Police Doctor's Waiting-Room'' ( no, Albertine i politilægens venteværelse; completed 1887) is a naturalist painting by the Norwegian artist Christian Krohg, showing the scene in a medical waiting-room. ''Albertine in the Po ...

'' in 1887.

Plot

Albertine is a poor seamstress, living in the eastern part of Christiania. She is being seduced by a "Winther", a police officer, who eventually rapes her while she is unconscious. Later she experiences a humiliating visit to the police doctor's office. She finally ends up as a prostitute, operating in the Vika district of the city. C Krohg-Trett

Confiscation, trial and reactions

The book was published on 20 December 1886, and the next day it was confiscated by the police, following orders from the

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...

. A fierce newspaper feud developed, but the confiscation was upheld by the court, both the City Court and the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. A demonstration held outside Prime Minister

Johan Sverdrup Johan Sverdrup (30 July 1816 – 17 February 1892) was a Norwegian politician from the Liberal Party. He was the first prime minister of Norway after the introduction of parliamentarism and served as the 4th prime minister of Norway. Sverdrup was ...

's (1884–1889) office in January 1887 gathered 5,000 protesters, largely workers and students. The Prime Minister defended his fellow Minister's actions and the confiscation, but expressed the view that he would exterminate the problems described in the novel, and within a few years public prostitution was made illegal in the Norwegian capital.

Impact

The debate following the publishing and confiscation of ''Albertine'' expedited the abolition of public

prostitution in Norway Prostitution in Norway is illegal and a criminal act when sexual acts are purchased, but not when sold. The Norwegian law prohibiting the buying of sexual acts came into effect on 1 January 2009, following the passing of new legislation by the Norw ...

References

External links

1991 edition
in the

National Library of Norway The National Library of Norway ( no, Nasjonalbiblioteket) was established in 1989. Its principal task is "to preserve the past for the future". The library is located both in Oslo and in Mo i Rana. The building in Oslo was restored and reopened i ...

. {{in lang, no 19th-century Norwegian novels 1886 novels Novels set in Oslo Censorship in Norway Novels about prostitution Prostitution in Norway Works by Christian Krohg