Frederikke Federspiel
Encyclopedia
Frederikke Jakobine Federspiel (1839–1913) was the first female photographer to practice in Denmark
. For many years, she ran her own photographic studio in Aalborg
, always keeping abreast of the latest developments. Among her clients were the Danish princesses Dagmar and Alexandra
who were attracted by her photo enamel jewelry.
, Jutland
, she was brought up in a bourgeois home together with her sister and five brothers. Her father died when she was only six after which her mother earned a living as a milliner. After her mother's death in 1874, she went to Hamburg
to learn photography. Living with her uncle, Poul Friedrich Lewitz, and her aunt Juliane, she became an apprentice to her cousin Alfred Lewitz, also a photographer. In her diary she records how much she enjoyed her year in Hamburg with lots of excursions, evenings at the theatre and wonderful meals.
. She was aware of the competition but astutely publicized her business, always ensuring she kept up with evolving technology.
For extended periods, she managed to run the second most prosperous photographic business in the city. In 1878, she fell ill and spent eight months in hospital followed by a further three months at St. Oluf's sanitorium in Modum
, Norway
. She was to return to the spa several times in later years. With he sister, she spent her summer holidays at the new seaside resorts of Blokhus
, Løkken
and Fanø
.
In 1883, Frederikke Federspiel and Nielsine Zehngraf from Randers
were among the first women to become members of the Danish Photographers Association. Frederikke was an active member, contributing to the Association's membership album. In 1885, she won recognition for donating portraits. She also exhibited her work in Copenhagen, often participating in person as she did in 1888.
In 1899, she started to produce enamel jewelry and cufflinks embedded with photographs using direct positives produced with a four-lensed multiplicator camera. She had made special arrangements for the equipment to be imported from the United States to facilitate the work. The jewelry was shown at a Christmas exhibition at Copenhagen's Industry Association, attracting the attention of the royal family. As a result, she was able to count Princess Alexandra
and Tsaritsa Dagmar among her clients.
s which offered a safer and cheaper method of exposure and development. She was also one of the first to experiment with magnesium power
for flash and she installed electric lamps in her studio when electricity came to Aalborg in 1901.
In the early 1900s, she began to sell cameras for amateur photographers. Among her students and assistants were Ernst Gøpel, Fritz Karner and Georg Bendtzen Holm who were later to become leading photographers.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. For many years, she ran her own photographic studio in Aalborg
Aalborg
-Transport:On the north side of the Limfjord is Nørresundby, which is connected to Aalborg by a road bridge Limfjordsbroen, an iron railway bridge Jernbanebroen over Limfjorden, as well as a motorway tunnel running under the Limfjord Limfjordstunnelen....
, always keeping abreast of the latest developments. Among her clients were the Danish princesses Dagmar and Alexandra
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom...
who were attracted by her photo enamel jewelry.
Early life
Born in HorsensHorsens
Horsens is a Danish city in east Jutland. It is the site of the council of Horsens municipality. The city's population is 53,807 and the Horsens municipality's population is 82,835 ....
, Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
, she was brought up in a bourgeois home together with her sister and five brothers. Her father died when she was only six after which her mother earned a living as a milliner. After her mother's death in 1874, she went to Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
to learn photography. Living with her uncle, Poul Friedrich Lewitz, and her aunt Juliane, she became an apprentice to her cousin Alfred Lewitz, also a photographer. In her diary she records how much she enjoyed her year in Hamburg with lots of excursions, evenings at the theatre and wonderful meals.
Working as a photographer
After completing her apprenticeship in 1876, Frederikke Federspiel returned to Denmark where she was the first women to apply for a licence to trade in photography. She settled in Aalborg with her sister Sophie. While her sister exercised her trade in lingerie and embroidery in the living room, Frederikke set up a photographic studio on the top floor. There were already two photographers in Aalborg, one of whom was the well-established Heinrich TønniesHeinrich Tønnies
Johan Georg Heinrich Ludwig Tønnies was an early German-Danish photographer who had a studio in Aalborg, Denmark.-Biography:Born in Grünenplan, Germany, he was trained as a glass painter and cutter....
. She was aware of the competition but astutely publicized her business, always ensuring she kept up with evolving technology.
For extended periods, she managed to run the second most prosperous photographic business in the city. In 1878, she fell ill and spent eight months in hospital followed by a further three months at St. Oluf's sanitorium in Modum
Modum
Modum is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hallingdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Vikersund. The municipality of Modum was established on 1 January 1838 .The area has a long tradition of skiing with several famous...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. She was to return to the spa several times in later years. With he sister, she spent her summer holidays at the new seaside resorts of Blokhus
Blokhus
Blokhus is a small town with a population of 405 in the municipality of Jammerbugt in Denmark, on the north-west coast of the Jutland Peninsula. It is primarily a tourist resort...
, Løkken
Løkken-Vrå
Until January 1, 2007 Løkken-Vrå was a municipality in North Jutland County on the northwest coast of the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. The municipality covered an area of 181 km², and hads a total population of 8,828 . Its last mayor was Knud...
and Fanø
Fanø
Fanø is a Danish island in the North Sea off the coast of southwestern Denmark, and is the very northernmost of the Danish Wadden Sea Islands...
.
In 1883, Frederikke Federspiel and Nielsine Zehngraf from Randers
Randers
Randers is a city in Randers municipality on the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 60,656 . Randers city is the main town of the municipality and the site of its municipal council.-Overview:Randers municipality has 94,750 inhabitants...
were among the first women to become members of the Danish Photographers Association. Frederikke was an active member, contributing to the Association's membership album. In 1885, she won recognition for donating portraits. She also exhibited her work in Copenhagen, often participating in person as she did in 1888.
In 1899, she started to produce enamel jewelry and cufflinks embedded with photographs using direct positives produced with a four-lensed multiplicator camera. She had made special arrangements for the equipment to be imported from the United States to facilitate the work. The jewelry was shown at a Christmas exhibition at Copenhagen's Industry Association, attracting the attention of the royal family. As a result, she was able to count Princess Alexandra
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom...
and Tsaritsa Dagmar among her clients.
Keeping abreast of technology
Always interested in the latest technical developments, she was quick to start using dry plateDry plate
Dry plate, also known as gelatin process, is an improved type of photographic plate. It was invented by Dr. Richard L. Maddox in 1871, and by 1879 it was so well introduced that the first dry plate factory had been established...
s which offered a safer and cheaper method of exposure and development. She was also one of the first to experiment with magnesium power
Flash powder
Flash powder is a pyrotechnic composition, a mixture of oxidizer and metallic fuel, which burns quickly and if confined produces a loud report. It is widely used in theatrical pyrotechnics and fireworks and was once used for flashes in photography.Different varieties of flash powder are made from...
for flash and she installed electric lamps in her studio when electricity came to Aalborg in 1901.
In the early 1900s, she began to sell cameras for amateur photographers. Among her students and assistants were Ernst Gøpel, Fritz Karner and Georg Bendtzen Holm who were later to become leading photographers.