Elisabeth Helmer (1854 – after 1912) was an early Norwegian professional female photographer who had a studio in
Grimstad
Grimstad () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county, Norway. It belongs to the geographical region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the Grimstad (tow ...
. She was also one of the town's most important women's rights activists.
Biography
Born on 24 October 1854 in Grimstad, Helmer was the daughter of the surveyor Jacob Holst Helmer. She was trained by the German-born Norwegian photographer
Louise Abel who ran a studio in
Christiania together with her husband Hans Abel. In 1896, she opened her own studio in Grimstad which she managed until 1912 when she ceded the business to Gunhild Larsen whom she had trained and introduced as her business partner in 1902. She also trained many other photographers. In addition to portraits, Helmer also took landscape photographs of Grimstad and the surroundings, several of which have been preserved 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 ...
.
Helmer was also an active feminist, heading the Grimstad branch of ''Landskvindestemmeretsforeningen'', the Norwegian women's rights association, and its successor ''Kvindernes Klub'', the Women's Club.
[
There is no record of the date of Elisabeth Helmer's death.
]
References
External links
Examples of Elisabeth Helmer's work from the National Library of Norway
{{DEFAULTSORT:Helmer, Elisabeth
1854 births
People from Grimstad
19th-century Norwegian photographers
Norwegian women photographers
Norwegian women's rights activists
Year of death missing
19th-century women photographers