Jacob Heinrich Moresco (2 May 1828 - 29 October 1906), also known simply as Jacob Heinrich, was one of the first large-scale manufacturers of women's clothing in Denmark. His company, which at the end of the 19th century was the largest of its kind in 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 ...

, was after his death in 1906 continued by his nephew Carl Moresco. His former hone, Villa Adelaide, was located in what is now Ordrup Park. Morescovej is named after him.

Early life and education

Jacob Heinrich Moresco was born in Copenhagen, the son of Maximillian Moresco and Adelaide Italiaender. His father had come to Denmark from The Hague in about 1820 and married Adelaide approximately one year before Moresco was born. Moresco attended Mariboe's School. His father was a reputable dentist with title of court dentist (''høf-tandlæge'')and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. Moresco was, however, more interested in a commercial career, and was instead apprenticed to textile merchant Unna at the corner of Købmagergade and Østergade. He later worked for Carl Løvgren, who ran the leading clothing store of the time. In 1855, Moresco travelled to Paris where he learned tailoring before returning to Copenhagen the following year.

Career

On 16 April 1856, Moresco opened a store with women's clothing and fashion accessories at Amagertorv 13. In 1864, he opened a wholesale business at No. 14. In 1882, Mprescp's company relocated to Østergade 24. After a few years, J. Moresco had developed into the largest manufacturer of women's clothing in the

with considerable export to Southern Sweden and Norway. When Sweden increased its tariffs on clothing from Denmark in 1890, Moresco responded by establishing a Swedish subsidiary, aAB Moresco, in Malmö, followed by a Norwegian subsidiary in Christiania in 1897. The parent company in Copenhagen was in 1900 converted into a limited company ('' aktieselskab'') under the name A/S J. Moresco and with an

initial capital In a written or published work, an initial capital, also referred to as a drop capital or simply an initial cap, initial, initcapital, initcap or init or a drop cap or drop, is a letter at the beginning of a word, a chapter, or a paragraph that ...

. of DKK 4 million. Moresco was chairman of the board and his nephew Carl Moresco was appointed as managing director. The company employed 3,000 people during the peak seasons at its 50 years' anniversary in 1906.

Personal life and legacy

Moresco purchased a property In

Ordrup Ordrup is a district of Gentofte Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located circa north of the city centre. History Ordrup was originally a small village which only consisted of eight farms and a forge. The area ...

north of Copenhagen in 1871 and named it Adelaide after his mother. He was the second-largest tax-payer in the municipality, only surpassed by Jacob Hegel at Skovgården. He is one of the businessmen depicted on Peder Severin Krøyer's monumental 1895 group portrait painting ''

From Copenhagen Stock Exchange ''From Copenhagen Stock Exchange'' () is a monumental 1895 oil on canvas group portrait painting by Peder Severin Krøyer, featuring 50 representatives of the Danish commercial and financial industries gathered in the Great Hall of Børsen (the Ex ...

'' in

Børsen Børsen (Danish for "the Exchange"), also known as Børsbygningen ("The (Stock) Exchange building" in English), is a 17th-century stock exchange in the center of Copenhagen. The historic building is situated next to Christiansborg Palace, the seat ...

. Another group portrait painting,

Laurits Tuxen Laurits Regner Tuxen (9 December 1853 – 21 November 1927) was a Danish painter and sculptor specialising in figure painting. He was also associated with the Skagen Painters. He was the first head of Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler, an art school ...

's ''

Leaving the Table ''Leaving the Table'' (), also known as ''Dinner Party at the Morescos (), is a 1906 oil-on-canvas group portrait painting by Laurits Tuxen depicting a dinner party in Danish businessman Jacob Heinrich Moresco's home north of Copenhagen. The paint ...

'' depicts a scene from a dinner party in his home. The painting was a gift to him in connection with the 50 years' anniversary of his company on 16 April 1906. It was painted on the basis of a black-and-white photograph taken at a dinner party some time before the anniversary. He died unmarried and without children on 29 October 1906 and is buried in the Western Jewish Cemetery in Copenhagen. He left his estate to his nephew Carl Moresco. In 1943, three years after Carl Moresco's death, Villa Adelaide was acquired by Gentofte Municipality and converted into a daycare. It was demolished in 1969 and Ordrup Park is now located at the site. Morescovej in Gentofte is named after him.

Honours

Moresco was created a

Knight of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known ...

in 1885, a Commander of the 2nd Class in 1904 and finally a Commander of the 1st Class in 1906. He was awarded the Cross of Honour in 1892.

References

External links

Jacob Heinrich Moresco
at geni.com
Carl Moresco
s villa {{DEFAULTSORT:Moresco, Jacob Heinrich 1828 births 1906 deaths 20th-century Danish businesspeople Danish tailors Danish businesspeople in fashion Danish textile industry businesspeople Danish company founders Danish people of Dutch descent Commanders First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog Recipients of the Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog Danish companies established in 1856