Vilhelm Pedersen - Scene af slaget ved Eckernførde - 1849

Thomas Vilhelm Pedersen (28 January 1820 – 13 March 1859) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

painter and illustrator who is known for his illustrations for

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic (paranormal), magic, incantation, enchantments, and mythical ...

s of

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consisti ...

. He was the first artist to illustrate Andersen's works. His drawings were converted into wood prints and used in the Danish and German editions.

Biography

Pedersen was born in

Karlslunde Karlslunde is a suburb 25 km (16 mi) south-west of central Copenhagen, Denmark. The suburb is a part of Greve municipality. Karlslunde is generally divided into Karlslunde Landsby and Karlslunde Strand split by Karlslunde Landevej (Taastru ...

. He initially followed in his father's footsteps and became an officer in the

Royal Danish Navy The Royal Danish Navy ( da, Søværnet) is the Naval warfare, sea-based branch of the Danish Defence force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Denmark, Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Isla ...

. He was interested in drawing and in 1843

Christian VIII Christian VIII (18 September 1786 – 20 January 1848) was King of Denmark from 1839 to 1848 and, as Christian Frederick, King of Norway in 1814. Christian Frederick was the eldest son of Hereditary Prince Frederick, a younger son of King Frederi ...

granted him four years' paid leave to enable him to pursuit an artistic career. He studied with

Wilhelm Marstrand Nicolai Wilhelm Marstrand (24 December 1810 – 25 March 1873), painter and illustrator, was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, to Nicolai Jacob Marstrand, instrument maker and inventor, and Petra Othilia Smith. Marstrand is one of the most renowned ar ...

and enrolled at the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi - Billedkunst Skolerne) has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Dani ...

. He first exhibited his works 1847 but voluntarily returned to the army at the outbreak of the Three Year War. He participated in the

Battle of Eckernförde The Battle of Eckernförde was a Danish naval assault on Schleswig. The Danes were defeated and two of their ships were lost with the surviving crew being detained. Carsen Jensen: ''Vi, de druknede'' (oversatt av Mie Hidle), Forlaget Press, (2 ...

, which he would later depict in two paintings. He then continued his interrupted naval career until his early death in 1859.

Private life

His sons (1858-1942) and (1854-1926) were also painters.

References

External links

*
Illustrations by Vilhelm Pedersen and Lorenz Frølich
at a Hans Christian Andersen website (visithcandersen.dk)
Ask Art: Vilhelm Pedersen

The Stories of Hans Christian Andersen
at Google Books *Weilbach, Ph. (1898)

in

Carl Frederik Bricka Carl Frederik Bricka (10 July 1845 – 23 August 1903) was a Denmark, Danish archivist, historian and biographer. Biography Carl Bricka was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. His father, Frederik Vilhelm Theodor Bricka (1809-79), was a medical ...

(ed.) '' Dansk biografisk Lexikon / XII. Bind. Münch – Peirup'' . Copenhagen: Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag, pp. 641–62. * 19th-century Danish illustrators Danish children's book illustrators 19th-century illustrators of fairy tales Danish painters People from Greve Municipality 1820 births 1859 deaths {{illustrator-stub