Carl Christian Anton Christensen (November 28, 1831 – July 3, 1912) was a Danish-American artist who is known for his paintings illustrating the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Of him it has been said that he "did more than any other person to capture the images of the history of Mormon migration to Utah and the life lived there".
Early life
Christensen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. On September 26, 1850, he was baptized into the LDS Church in Copenhagen by George P. Dykes. Christensen subsequently served as a missionary in his native Denmark.
Christensen also served as a missionary in Norway beginning in the fall of 1853. While in Norway, Christensen was the first Mormon missionary to preach in Christiania (now Oslo). While in Christiana, Christensen taught
Danquart Anthon Weggeland
Danquart Anthon Weggeland, known as Dan (March 31, 1827 – June 2, 1918) was an artist and teacher in the early Utah Territory. He was sometimes referred to as the "Father of Utah Art".Andrew Jenson, '' Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia'', vol. 1, p. 380–81.
In 1857, at the end of his service in Norway, Christensen set off for Utah Territory, stopping en route in England. He had met Elsie Scheel Haarby while serving in Norway, and he and Elsie married in Liverpool, England. They had planned to wait until reaching Utah to get married but leaders felt the trip would be easier if engaged couples got married before starting the journey.
and they sailed for America on the ''Westmoreland''."Winter Quarters center features pioneer artist" '' Church News'', June 1, 2002. After reaching New York City, they traveled by railroad to Iowa City, Iowa, the end of the line, and from there set out for Utah Territory, traveling with the Christian Christiansen
handcart company
The Mormon handcart pioneers were participants in the migration of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) to Salt Lake City, Utah, who used handcarts to transport their belongings. The Mormon handcart moveme ...
.
Painting
In 1862 Christensen did stage painting for a theatre in Springville, Utah. Early in his time in Utah, he could find so little demand for his artistic skills that he worked as a
housepainter
A house painter and decorator is a tradesman responsible for the painting and decorating of buildings, and is also known as a decorator or house painter.''The Modern Painter and Decorator'' volume 1 1921 Caxton The purpose of painting is to imp ...
.
The first major art work that Christensen undertook while in Utah was a commission from
Dimick B. Huntington
Dimick Baker Huntington (May 26, 1808 – February 1, 1879) was a leading Indian interpreter in early Utah Territory. He commissioned a 22-foot-long missionary panorama of C. C. A. Christensen to use in his presentations of the gospel to the Na ...
to do a collection of paintings from the Bible and Book of Mormon, in collaboration with Dan Weggeland.Hunter, J. Michael "Storytellers: Scandinavians' art told of Restoration" '' Church News'', January 22, 2000.
Christensen is best known for his ''Mormon Panorama,'' a series of 23 large paintings that depict the history of the church. Christensen also painted scenes from the Book of Mormon, such as ''Nephi and Zoram Return with the Record''. Christensen's Book of Mormon paintings were originally issued by the
Sunday School
A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West.
Su ...
for use in classrooms; they were later issued in lithography form.
Christensen began touring with the -long Mormon panorama in 1878. Christensen would transport it about Utah, Idaho and Wyoming, giving presentations along with the panorama. He did this during the winter when he was not busy working on his farm. After Christensen's death the panorama was stored away. Many years later it was discovered again and brought back to light, partly by the efforts of
Boyd K. Packer
Boyd Kenneth Packer (September 10, 1924 – July 3, 2015) was an American religious leader and educator who served as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church), president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jes ...
. It would gain its fullest recognition almost a century later when it would be shown at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.
Christensen also painted some of the murals in the Manti and
St. George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...
Temples. Christensen also did paintings for the Manti Tabernacle.
Another theme of some of Christensen's paintings was Manti and its surroundings.
Christensen often collaborated with Dan Weggeland in his work in Utah.
Other Utah activities
During his first days in Utah, Christensen found little time to paint. He did various odd jobs such as laying brick and burning charcoal as well as farming.
Christensen wrote many LDS hymns in Danish. Some of his translated texts are still in use. Christensen also wrote poetry and contributed to ''Bikuben''. Later he would serve as an editor of that publication. He was also a coauthor of the ''History of the Scandinavian Mission''.
Christensen was an instructor in drawing and Danish at the Sanpete Stake Academy (now Snow College).
Christensen served a second mission from 1865 to 1868. He went on a third mission to Denmark from 1887 to 1889, during which he worked as the editor of the ''Scandinaviens Stjerne''.
Christensen was the Sanpete
Stake
Stake may refer to:
Entertainment
* '' Stake: Fortune Fighters'', a 2003 video game
* ''The Stake'', a 1915 silent short film
* "The Stake", a 1977 song by The Steve Miller Band from '' Book of Dreams''
* ''Stakes'' (miniseries), a Cartoon Netw ...
patriarch in 1901. He also worked in the LDS Church Historian's Office where he compiled materials related to the history of the church in Scandinavia.
Boyd K. Packer
Boyd Kenneth Packer (September 10, 1924 – July 3, 2015) was an American religious leader and educator who served as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church), president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jes ...
recounted the rediscovery of Christensen's work:
Christensen's 1900 painting ''Handcart Pioneers'' (not part of ''Mormon Panorama'') "has become the most widely published painting of the Mormon pioneer experience by an actual pioneer."
Mormon pioneers
The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter Day Saints, who migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the Midwest to the S ...
Brent Christensen
William Brent Christensen () is a United States diplomat who served as the Director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the ''de facto'' embassy of the United States in Taiwan, from 2018 to 2021. Christensen's prior appointments include ...
(American career diplomat, great-great-grandson of C. C. A. Christensen)