Pauline Gerhardine Fjelde (May 1861 – December 23, 1923) was a Norwegian-born American painter, embroiderer, and textile artist.

Background

Pauline Gerhardine Fjelde was born in

Ålesund Ålesund () sometimes spelled Aalesund in English, is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal County, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre and the centre of the Ålesund Region. The town of Ålesund is the administrativ ...

, Møre og Romsdal county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. She and her family immigrated to the United States in 1887. Pauline Fjelde is one of a lineage of family artisans. Her brother Jacob Fjelde created many of the sculptures found in Minneapolis parks. Pauline Fjelde was also the aunt of noted American sculptor

Paul Fjelde Paul Fjelde (August 12, 1892 – May 3, 1984) was a noted American sculptor and educator. Background Paul Fjelde was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was the son of Jacob Fjelde, who was a well-known sculptor in Norway when he emigrated ...

and the great-aunt of his son, Ibsen scholar Rolf G. Fjelde.

Career

Pauline Fjelde was a highly skilled textile artist. She studied gobelin weaving at the Gobelins Manufactory in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. She was associated with the development of the European Arts and Crafts movement within Norwegian-American textile arts. In 1893, the

Minnesota State Legislature The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decen ...

commissioned the design of an official state flag for display at an exhibit at the fairgrounds in Chicago at the

World’s Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

. Amelia Hyde Center submitted the winning design. Pauline Fjelde and her sister, Thomane, were contracted to produce the actual prototype flag. The Minnesota flag earned a gold medal for embroidery at the Chicago exposition.

Legacy

Her works have been on display at the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts and are in a permanent collection at Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in

Decorah, Iowa Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,587 at the time of the 2020 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S. Route 52, and is the largest commun ...

. Some of her oil paintings also reside at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The Hennepin History Museum maintains a file containing her career. Family photos are in the Minnesota Historical Society database.''About Pauline Fjelde'' (Minneapolis Historic Homeowners Association)
/ref> In 2010,
Daughters of Norway lodge
was established in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The lodge chose Pauline Fjelde as its namesake in honor of her contributions to Minnesota as a Norwegian immigrant.

References

External links

Portrait of Pauline Gerhardine FjeldePauline Fjelde House
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fjelde, Pauline 1861 births 1923 deaths Artists from Minnesota People from Ålesund People from Møre og Romsdal Norwegian emigrants to the United States Arts and Crafts movement artists Norwegian artists American embroiderers Norwegian embroiderers