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Modern Danish History |
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Stories of Denmark 1660-2000 |
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In 1660 Denmark was an impoverished country that had been devastated by war. Scania, Halland and Blekinge had been lost to the Swedes, and in a royal coup King Frederik the Third declared the advent of Absolutism. This contistutes the start of the exhibition, which shows exhibits from every corner and class of Denmark with one thing in common – they all tell a story.
Stories of everyday life and special occasions, stories of the Danish state and nation, but most of all stories of different people’s lives – the people who over the centuries have lived, loved, worked and struggled in the country we call Denmark. All these lives and belongings have been woven into a multitude of stories – stories of the state, society and people of Denmark from 1660 to 2000. |
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The executioner´s axe |
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This is probably the very axe that cut off the head of Johann Friedrich Struensee, one of the best brains in Denmark in 1772. As the personal physician to the mentally ill King Christian the 7th., he had been de facto ruler of the country since 1770 and had modernised Denmark in line with the principles of freedom and enlightenment that were so prominent in Europe at the time.
The elite, however, was neither enamoured by his progressive ideas, nor by the fact that he was the Queens lover. Struensee was convicted of lése-majesté. |
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A profession for women |
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This sign, featuring a midwife with a newborn child in swaddling, hung in front of the house of a midwife named Katrine Marie Povelsen. It dates from 1785, a time when there were very few options open to women who wanted to run their own business.
A succesful birth was not something to be taken for granted in those days; many women died in labour and child mortality rates were also high. Training for midwives was introduced in 1714. It lasted for a couple of years and culminated in an exam by a doctor. To be a midwife you had to swear an oath and possess a trade licence. You also had to display a sign so that the midwife could easily be found when the contractions started. |
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Little Marie and Neky |
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| Neky the nanny from the Danish West Indies was in the service of Hans Birch Dahlerup. He had served as a naval officer on St. Croix. N. P. Holbech painted the picture in Copenhagen in 1838, and the girl Neky is holding Holbech´s daughter, little Marie. |
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Flying the flag with red ribbons |
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| After 1864, when Denmark lost Schleswig and Holstein, national sentiment flared up in many Danes both north and south of the border, which now ran along the Kongeåen River. The Danes began to refer to North Schleswig as Sønderjylland (=Southern Jutland). They formed Southern Jutland associations and held commemorations to which people with Danish sympathies from south of the border were invited. The white dress was worn on one such occasion in June 1884. It was decorated with red ribbons to underline where the wearer´s heart belonged. |
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The 1970s |
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| The 1970s bungalow living room is a prime example of modern museum collection policy: contemporary interior design is considered part of Danish cultural heritage. The upholstered furniture in brownish colours, the hand-knotted woolen carpet and the tile-topped table were found in many houses at the time. The living room recreates a young couples first home in Zealand. It was - perhaps - more characteristic of the lifestyle of young Danes of that time than the hippy scene, for which the period is known. |
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