Archive Record
Images
Additional Images [2]
Metadata
Object Identification Number |
2009.031.010 |
Object Name |
Album, Photograph |
Donor |
Hansen, Estate of Rita Neergaard |
Scope / Description |
Photo album partially full of photos. Rectangular, horizontal in orientation. The covers are brown and connected at the spine edge by a brown string. On the front cover, the two right corners have a sort of lined design, and the same appears on the left at center. In the center is a circle with lines and curves inside and "PHOTOGRAPHS" in gold at the center. Inside, the pages are black. Most photos are attached with black photo corners. None of the photos have captions. There are numerous empty pages and some with spaces where photos were likely removed. Inside the front cover is a pocket where a handful of photos, a napkin, and a clipping are stored. The clipping talks about Rita's assignment to Iceland as an American consulate. The first several pages are held together by a band of paper - "No. 510 / REFILL / FOR / No. 500 / PHOTOGRAPH / ALBUM / 22 SHEETS SIZE 9 3/4 X 12 3/4". Later in the album is a calendar page from July 1940. 13 1/8" W x 10 1/4" L x 1 1/4" D Photo album of Rita Hansen documenting family and scenery on her travels, likely during 1940. Family Info: Peder (b. March 5, 1847, d. Apr. 4, 1923 in Kenosha) and Kirsten (Simonsen) Neergaard were farmers from Nødager (the Grenaa-Æbeltoft area of Jutland) with their three sons, Christian, Achton, and Sophus. They came to the U.S. on the ship Thingvalla in 1888 (Christian was 17, Achton 15, and Sophus 13), and docked in Canada. Peder and the boys worked with maintanence of the Canadian railroad, living in a boxcar with Kirsten as housekeeper. They ended up on the West Coat, came across the border into Washington state, lived in Kent for awhile, and then worked their way east to Wisconsin. They stayed in Neenah for a time, and then settled in Kenosha. Kirsten died in 1905. Peder wrote to Kirsten's sister Maren and asked her to come to America to help keep house. Maren came with a friend, Olivia Poulsen. and Olivia and Christian married in 1907. In 1908, the donor's sister Kirsten was born, and Rita followed in 1912. Olivia died in 1930. In 1937, Kirsten and Rita took Civil Serice exams and were called to work for the government in Washington, D.C. Their widower father, Christian, went with them. In 1940, when the Nazis invaded Denmark, the U.S. government established a Consulate in Reykjavik, Iceland (at that time part of Denmark), and Rita was chosen to go there for two years. During her service, the Consulate in Iceland was elevated to a Legation. After her assignment in Iceland, Rita was transferred to the Legation in Stockholm, Sweden and was there for a year before returning to Washington, D.C. In 1944, Rita's father Christian died. When the war ended in 1945, Rita and Kirsten were asked to go to Copenhagen, Denmark on separate assignments. Rita had known Roy Hansen through the Danish church in Kenosha, Wisconsin for many years, but Roy's service in the Army and Rita's service in the Foreign Service had precluded their relationship. Rita and Roy married in December of 1950. Kirsten, Rita's sister, died in July of 1987. Rita died in the summer of 2009. |
Title |
PHOTOGRAPHS |
Date |
ca. 1940 |
Dates of Creation |
circa 1940 |
Associated People |
Hansen, Rita |
Search Terms |
Photograph Album Hansen, Rita travel Iceland American Consulate |
Date Received by Museum |
07/16/2009 |
Images |
145\2009031010.JPG |
Accession number |
2009.031 |