Object Record
Images
Additional Images [4]
Metadata
Accession number |
1990.060 |
Object Identification Number |
1990.060.1110 |
Object Name |
Etching |
Donor |
Bedstemors, Inc. |
Description |
Print: The color etching depicts a landscape scene. In the foreground is a path bordered by a low wall that curves around a corner to the viewer's right. To the viewer's right of the path is the side of a hill covered with foliage with a tree extending from the top. To the viewer's left of the path is a body of water with a shallow waterfall. In the distance behind the body of water are more trees and foliage. The artist's signature in the viewer's lower right corner of the print reads: "Leris [?] Ra___". The letters "SL" with a circle around them are printed in blue in the viewer's lower left corner next to an illegible handwritten name. Printed in the viewer's upper left corner of the print is: "[copyright symbol] Paris Etching Society NY, USA". The print is surrounded by a beige, textured mat. Frame: The etching is held within a wooden frame painted gold with glass across the front. The front of the frame curves out near the edge and has a raised, repeating design of stylized leaves. The entire back of the frame is faced with a piece of brown paper. It is hung with a piece of wire twisted between two metal eye screws. Handwritten in pen in the lower left corner of the back is: "Loaned by / Grace Mardesen. Sept. 26, 1983". |
Dimensions |
W-19.25 L-23 D-1.25 inches |
Made By |
Paris Etching Society |
Owned By |
Mardesen, Grace |
Material |
paper/glass/wood/metal |
Associated People |
Mardesen, Grace |
Search Terms |
print etching Paris Etching Society Mardesen, Grace |
Provenance |
The etching was donated by Grace Mardesen on September 26, 1983. It was one of the furnishings provided to Bedstemors House during its restoration in the 1980s. HOUSE HISTORY Bedstemors Hus, or Grandmother's House, was built in 1908 by Jens Otto Christiansen, a Danish immigrant and Elk Horn businessman. He was often referred to as "Prince Otto" because he wore a coat with tails and a tall hat when going to church, and he walked very straight. According to local stories, he built the house as an engagement gift for a young woman who sadly turned down his marriage proposal. It is unknown if Christiansen ever lived in the home himself, but he rented the home to several families until he sold it to the Salem Old People's Home in 1933 for "one dollar and other valuable contributions." In 1946, the house was sold to Meta Mortensen, also of Danish descent. She lived in the home for 36 years, making only a few notable changes. The roses that she planted along all four sides of the house still bloom. In 1982, Meta sold the house to the Elk Horn-Kimballton Arts and Recreation Council for $8800. The Council and many area volunteers spent a year restoring the home to reflect the turn of the century. They named it "Bedstemor's House", using the Danish word for "Grandmother", in honor of Meta Mortensen who was herself a Danish-American grandmother. The House opened to the public in July of 1983, and a formal dedication was held October 1. Meta Mortensen was the guest of honor. It was after 1983 that the front porch was reconstructed and the exterior of the home was repainted from the white that Meta had had to the original two-tone green. The only modern room was just off the kitchen. Formerly Meta's bedroom, the room became the office for staff and has remained as such. The Council operated the house for seven years until it was donated to the Museum in 1990. Minutes from the Board of Directors meeting in February that year show that the donation was accepted for the Museum. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 16, 1997. The Museum continues to operate Bedstemor's House as an historic house museum, interpreting the home in its first decade. The home is located at 2105 College Street in Elk Horn on its original foundation. On June 25, 2008, the Museum held a dedication for the new tombstone for Jens Otto Christiansen who had not had a formal stone until then. It marked the centennial of the house. The ceremony was held at the Elk Horn Cemetery and a reception at Bedstemors House followed. |
Images |
181\19900601110.JPG |
Date Received by Museum |
1990 |