Anna Elisabeth Albertina Bergstrand-Poulsen (12 November 1887 – 18 February 1955) was a Swedish writer, painter, illustrator and

textile artist Textile arts are arts and crafts that use plant, animal, or synthetic fibers to construct practical or decorative objects. Textiles have been a fundamental part of human life since the beginning of civilization. The methods and materials u ...

who lived in Denmark after marrying the sculptor

Axel Poulsen Rikard Axel Poulsen (1 December 1887 – 22 August 1972) was a Danish sculptor. He is remembered for his memorials in Copenhagen's Fælledparken and Aarhus' Marselisborg Mindeparken. Biography Born in Copenhagen, he was brought up in Odense wher ...

in 1917. As a painter, she exhibited from 1922, initially specializing in child portraits, later in religious works including altarpieces. She embarked on writing in 1926 with a copiously illustrated book on people from her native Småland, the first of many successful works influenced by her strong Christian beliefs and childhood memories. Several were translated into Danish, Dutch, German or English.

Early life and education

Born on 12 November 1887 in the village of Långasjö in south-eastern Sweden, Anna Elisabeth Albertina Bergstrand was the daughter of the schoolteacher and organist Per Magnus Bergstrand (1855–1927) and Anna Hammargren (1861–1946), a devout Christian. She was the second of six children. Brought up in a musical family, her father taught her school subjects and the piano. As the family could not afford to send her to high school, she helped in the home and read widely. She became a close friend of , with whom she shared her interest in art and literature. After studying at the Kunsthögskolan in Stockholm (1909–1913), thanks to a Swedish grant she went on an extended study trip to France, Italy and Algeria (1913–1916). While in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, she met the sculptor Rikard Axel Poulsen (1887–1972) whom she married in November 1917 after returning to Denmark. They had two sons, Ivar (1918) and Hans (1920).

Career

As an artist

She first exhibited her child paintings in Copenhagen's Charlottenborg at the 1922 autumn exhibition, followed by interiors at the 1923 spring show. Her portraits and interiors were painted in the naturalistic style of the times. Her artwork extended to

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

lithography Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

and

ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

. In 1926, her exhibition of some 60 illustrations depicting the people of Småland at the

Gummeson Gallery The Gummeson Gallery, (''Galleri Gummeson'') is a Contemporary art gallery situated on Strandvägen in Stockholm, Sweden. History It was launched in 1912 by Carl Gummeson, a local bookdealer, and quickly gained a reputation for its support of Mod ...

in Stockholm met with enthusiastic acclaim. During the nine years following her marriage, together with her husband she applied her artistic talents to designing their home in

Charlottenlund Charlottenlund is a suburban area on the coast north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the administrative seat of Gentofte Municipality. Bordered to the east by the Øresund, to the South by Hellerup and to the north by Klampenborg, it is one of the ...

to the north of Copenhagen. Inspired by their common interest in Italy and the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

, it was known as Klosteret (The Cloister) with its impressive church-like appearance. In her memoirs published in 1940, she explains the significance of the house in the following terms:

We love our home, created with irrational materials for a house: longings and dreams, impressions from east and west, from sun and moon, i.e. from Italy, Greece, France and Denmark. It was built by man's faith and woman's weak power. And as an altar erected for all that is beautiful.

In later life, she turned to religious works, especially tapestry, creating ''Kvinnans årstider'' (The Woman's Ages) which was woven in Barbro Nilsson's workshop in Stockholm and is now preserved in Småland's Museum. In 1950, she created an altarpiece for Långasjö Church but it was not inaugurated until 1957, two years after her death.

As a writer

Bergstrand-Poulsen did not embark on her literary career until she was 39 when she published ''Värendskvinnor från Långasjö socken i bilder och ord'' (1926), presenting women from her native Småland parish in a richly illustrated book. Other successful works include ''Hjältar och hjältedåd'' (1930), ''Glad och god skal människan vara – och stark'' (1934) and ''Väven'' (1941). All were inspired by her strong Christian beliefs and memories of her childhood in Småland. In 1940 she published her memoirs as ''Hök, får jag låna dine vingar?'' (Hark, Can I Borrow your Wings?). Her most popular works such as ''Väven'' and ''Kronan'' were translated into several languages. Elisabeth Bergstrand-Poulsen died in Charlottenlund on 18 February 1955 and is buried in Ordrup Cemetery.

References

External links