The Women's Exhibition from the Past and Present (Danish : Kvindernes Udstilling fra Fortid og Nutid) held in Copenhagen in 1895 was an art and culture exhibition for women from the Nordic countries. Inspired by the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, it was designed to demonstrate how far Nordic women had advanced in the areas of education, employment and art. The first of its kind in Europe, it was considered a great success. [1] [2]
The Chicago World's Fair in 1893 had impressed Danish visitors with its Woman's Building containing presentations of art and literature. Sophie Oxholm (1848–1935), who had visited the exhibition, was obviously impressed by the exhibition, especially the show of Danish needlework. On her return to Denmark, she immediately brought a number of influential women together with a view to arranging a Nordic women's exhibition in Copenhagen the following year. Despite initial enthusiasm, as a result of budgetary and management problems, it was announced in February 1894 that the exhibition would not be held until 1895. [1] [3]
Oxholm, who experienced difficulty in managing the arrangements, gave up her position as head of the coordinating committee in early 1895. She was replaced by Bertha Buch of the Women's Society but it was Emma Gad (1852–1921) who proved to be the most effective member. Appointed deputy chair, Gad managed to complete all the arrangements on time. These included selecting the site of the exhibition which was ultimately shared between the Industrial Association building (Industriforeningen), which had been built in connection with the 1872 Nordic Exhibition, and the premises of Den Frie Udstilling. It was therefore possible for the exhibition to open on 22 June 1895 in the presence of Queen Louise. [1]
In addition to exhibits from Denmark, the exhibition contained areas specifically dedicated to the Danish provinces and overseas territories (Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland and Danish West Indies) as well as to Norway and Sweden. There are records of the 2,415 exhibits covering painting, curiosities (including items associated with celebrated women), arts and crafts, costumes, jewellery (including gold- and silverware), literature (manuscripts, journals and books) and appliances. There were also separate listings of exhibits relating to housekeeping, philanthropy, hygiene, education, household crafts (spinning and weaving, leather, wood, embroidery, silk painting, and whitework), music and art. [4]
For the Den Frie Udstilling building, there was a separate inventory of 301 artworks, paintings and sculptures, listed by artist. [5]
The two women who were instrumental in organizing the exhibition were Sophie Oxholm and, above all, Emma Gad. [6]
The Women's Exhibition was a great success. Not only was it appreciated in Denmark and beyond, it made a substantial profit. Gad had hoped the money could be used for an independent "Women's Building" (Kvindernes Bygning) with a meeting room, reading room, restaurant and accommodation for women from the provinces. [7] Work did not begin on the building until 1929. It was completed in 1937. [8]
Works by the following artists were included in the Women's Exhibition: [5]
Events from the year 1895 in Denmark.
Anna Louise Birgitte Syberg was a Danish painter. Together with her husband Fritz Syberg, she was one of the Funen Painters (Fynboerne) who lived and worked on the island of Funen. She is remembered for her lively watercolours of flower arrangements.
Alhed Maria Larsen née Warberg, the wife of Johannes Larsen, was one of the Fynboerne or "Funen Artists" who lived and worked on the Danish island of Funen. She appears to have been a central figure for the Funen Painters, frequently acting as hostess.
Den Frie Udstilling is a Danish artists' association, founded in 1891 by artists in protest against the admission requirements for the Kunsthal Charlottenborg. Modeled on the Salon des Refusés, it is Denmark's oldest association of artists. Now located on Copenhagen's Oslo Plads next to Østerport Station, it works as an arts centre, continuing to exhibit works created and selected by contemporary artists rather than those chosen by cultural authorities.
Harald Slott-Møller was a Danish painter and ceramist. Together with his wife, the painter Agnes Slott-Møller, he was a founding member of Den Frie Udstilling.
De Tretten, also De Tretten Kunstnere, was a grouping of young Danish artists who arranged their own exhibitions in Copenhagen from 1909 to 1912 in order to display works which would not have been accepted for exhibition by the then rather traditional Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
Suzette Catherine Holten was a Danish painter and ceramist who belonged to the Skovgaard family of artists. In addition to landscapes, flower paintings and portraits, she created and decorated ceramics and also worked as an embroiderer. As a woman, she was unable to achieve the same level of acclaim as her father or brothers.
Edma Cornelia Vilhelmine Frølich Stage, also Edma Stage, was a French-born, Danish painter who worked mainly in pastels.
Astrid Valborg Holm (1876–1937) was a Danish painter and textile artist. She was one of only two Danes who studied under Henri Matisse in Paris.
Adolf Heinrich Claus Hansen known as Adolf Heinrich-Hansen, was a Danish architectural painter. His father, Heinrich Hansen, was also an architectural painter. Late in his life, he turned to animal painting.
Sophie Holten (1858–1930) was a Danish painter who created portraits, flower paintings and genre works. She is remembered in particular for her portraits of August Strindberg and L. A. Ring. She was also active in social work and feminism.
This is a timeline of women in Denmark, noting important events in Danish women's history.´
Sophie Marguerite Oxholm née Bech was a Danish noblewoman who was active in the initial planning of the 1895 Copenhagen Women's Exhibition. She was the owner of Rosenfeldt at Vordingborg from 1914 to 1935.
Johanne Cathrine Krebs was a Danish painter and women's rights activist. She was known for her portrait painting. She was active in establishing the women's department of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
The Maritime Monument, located at Langelinie, close to Langelinie Marina, is a maritime memorial in Copenhagen, Denmark, commemorating civilian Danish sailors who lost their lives during the First World War. The monument consists of a bronze sculpture of a winged female figure, representing Memory, placed on a rhombus-shaped podium with a series of narrative reliefs on its side.
The Kvindelig Fremskridtsforening (KF), or Women's Progress Association, was a Danish women's association which was founded in 1885 by Matilde Bajer and Elisabeth Ouchterlony. They had both been co-founders of the Danish Women's Society in 1871 but now wanted an organization which included specific attention to women's suffrage in municipal and national elections, an issue which was not on the agenda of the apolitical Women's Society. The organization also addressed women's involvement as peace activists and as members of the workforce.
Ane Marie Johansen Egeberg (1865–1952) was a Danish schoolteacher and women's rights activist. Based in Vejle, she established the local branch of the Danish Women's Society which she headed for 16 years. On the political front, from 1924 she was a member of the municipal council representing the liberal party Venstre.
Johanne (Hanne) Hellesen (1801–1844) was a Danish painter who was trained privately under Johan Laurentz Jensen as women had not yet been admitted to the Royal Danish Academy. She is recognized as one of the most successful female flower painters of her times. Some of her works were purchased by the Danish Royal Collection of Paintings, two for Kronborg and two for Fredensborg Palace. Others are in the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst.