FAMOUS NORWEGIAN-AMERICAN SCULPTOR: JAKOB FJELDE IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA (CABINET CARD PORTRAIT)

 

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This cabinet card portrait features famous Norwegian-American sculptor Jakob Fjelde (1855-1896). Fjelde is wearing an interesting overcoat with embroidery on it’s shoulders. Perhaps this is a coat that he wore while creating his sculpture. He has a attractive bushy mustache and is holding a half smoked cigar. Fjelde was born in Alesund, Norway and arrived in the United States in 1887. He settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was the father of sculptor Paul Fjelde and brother of artist Pauline Fjelde. Jakob was a prolific portraitist and created a number of public monuments. One of his most well known monuments was one dedicated to the 1st Minnesota Infantry (1897) that is located at the Gettysburg battlefield. Some of his statues in the Minneapolis / St. Paul area include “Hiawatha carrying Minnehaha”, “Minerva”, and “Ole Bull”. In 1885 he sculpted Henrik Ibsen from life and created a number of public statues and busts from the experience. The photographer of this image is the Lee Brothers who operated a studio in Minneapolis. To view more photographs by this photographer, click on the category “Photographer: Lee Bros.”

 

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Published in: on January 8, 2015 at 3:27 pm  Comments (1)  
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ENGLISH STAGE ACTRESS: ELLEN TERRY (THERE AIN’T NOTHIN LIKE A DAME!)

Dame Ellen Terry (1847-1928) was an English stage actress. The top cabinet card is from the studio of Campbell, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Ellen Terry was the leading Shakespearian actress in Great Britain. She was born into a family that was immersed in the theatre; and future generations continued theatrical pursuits; including grand nephew, John Gielgud (actor, director, producer). Ellen Terry began playing Shakespeare roles as a child and continued to do so. In 1878 she joined Henry Irving’s company. She toured Britain and the United States with great success. In 1903 she took over management of London’s Imperial Theatre and her focus included the plays of George Bernard Shaw and Henrik Ibsen. In 1916 she began acting in films and in 1925 she was made a “Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire”. Terry’s romantic life, including marriages and love affairs, make interesting reading. Research about the photographer of this cabinet card discovered his obituary in the New York Times (1912). The Times reports that Alfred S. Campbell (1839-1912) was a pioneer in the development of art photography. Among his accomplishments was the publication of an edition of the bible that was illustrated with photographs he took in the Holy Land. He emigrated to the United States on the invitation of famed photographer, Napoleon Sarony in 1866. Among his “intimate friends” were Henry Longfellow, Thomas Nast, and William Cullen Bryant . Visitors to the Cabinet Card Gallery can see photographs by Sarony under the category of “Photographer: Sarony” and can see a portrait of William Cullen Bryant under the category of “Journalist”. To view other photographs by Campbell, click on the category “Photographer: Campbell”.

The second cabinet card features Ellen Terry in the role of “Beatrice” in William Shakespeare’s play, “Much Ado About Nothing”. The Window & Grove studio of London,England, published this photograph. The studio operated in London from the 1870’s to at least 1908.

Published in: on August 5, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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