Although one source credits the above-mentioned pastor Lyngby as having
“appreciation of the aesthetic,”14 the bulk of evidence suggests that the matter of aesthetic or artistic quality was not a subject of discussion. The actual physical evidence, the altar pieces themselves, supports this impres
sion. The mere fact that most altar pieces were copies of copies tells us that latter-day criteria such as “uniqueness” or “originality” had no validity.
One of the most popular subjects for altar pieces was Anton Dorph’s
“One Thing Is Needful” (also called “Christ with Martha and Mary”).13 Dorph originally painted the altar piece for Tyrstrup church in Zealand, Denmark, in 1863. However, when Det Hoffenbergske Etablissement, a publishing company, began to mass produce an oleographed version (37/>"
x 28/2") in 1880, it struck an immediate chord with the public. The print was bought and hung in homes all over Denmark, especially in homes of Inner Mission persuasion. It was also brought to America and hung on Danish-American walls.16 In all probability the many Danish-American altar pieces with this subject were copied in oil from such oleographs.
Although the motto of Inner Mission was precisely “One Thing Is Need
ful,” the Dorph interpretation does not hang only in United Evangelical Lutheran churches. Two copies were done by Jes P. Smidt, who was a confirmed Grundtvigian, and the paintings were placed at St. Peder’s Dan
ish Evangelical Lutheran Church in Nysted, Nebraska, and The Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in West Denmark, Wisconsin.17
By far the most common altar decorations in Danish-American churches were copies of Thorvaldsen’s “Christ,” which also seem to have been distri
buted equally among both synods. Bertel Thorvaldsen executed the
origi-A copy of Bertel Thorvaldsen’s “origi-Angel of Baptism” in Elk Horn Lutheran Church. 1991.
(Photo: Aase Bak).
nal plaster model for the statue in 1821, while still living in Rome, and in 1839 had it sculpted in marble for its placement in Vor Frue Kirke (The Church of Our Lady) in Copenhagen. Thorvaldsen was at this time an international celebrity and the pride of Denmark, and the statue, charac
teristic in its placid, mild demeanor, appealed to pietistic sentiments and quickly became hugely popular.
The nineteenth century did not take matters of uniqueness, artistic authenticity and copyright very seriously, and copies of the “Christ” were soon to be found all over Denmark in various versions. Shortly after the artist’s death in 1844, the two Danish porcelain factories, Den Kongelige
Porcelainsfabrik (Royal Copenhagen) and Bing & Grfindahl, contracted with Thorvaldsen’s Museum in Copenhagen (in 1846 and 1853, respective
ly) to reproduce the artist’s work in biscuit (a type of unglazed porcelain).18 In 1868, the sculptor L. Vieth applied to the museum on behalf of Den Kongelige Porcelainsfabrik for permission to make a version of the “Christ”
for mass reproduction. From his application, it appears that the unau
thorized copies in circulation were considered a nuisance, and it was hoped that the copycats would now be curbed. He wanted permission to “...copy the ‘Christ,’ 4 feet tall, with the intention of gradually replacing the bad plaster casts from a copy of the same size which have been placed in a great many of our village churches.”19
In 1887, under the artistic direction of Pietro Krohn, the Bing & Gr<jm- dahl factory experimented with coloring the Thorvaldsen biscuits. This was completely against the artistic intentions of the artist, and the critics were not pleased.20 But the practice may explain the origin of the ivory-painted
“Christ” now at the Danish Immigrant Museum in Elk Horn, Iowa. It was bought in Copenhagen and brought to the United States where it was placed in a private home. It is unlikely, however, that many statues would have been imported, considering the cost and hazards of transportation and the fact that custom duties for statuary were at times as high as 50-60% of the original cost.21 The Bing & Grfindahl experiment with painted biscuits may have removed a kind of taboo and encouraged other producers to do likewise. At any rate, a great number of the “Christ” statues in Danish- American churches are painted with a pale, flesh color on face, hands and feet and have brown hair and blue eyes.
All told, almost half of the altar pieces identified for this article (28 of 61) consist of some version of Thorvaldsen’s “Christ,” placed in a carved, and sometimes painted, wooden frame of the most diverse historical styles. The frame would have been ordered “on the side” from a woodcarver (the prolific Jes P. Smidt, for example) or a local cabinetmaker or from a factory which mass produced such decor. The origin of the many “Christ” figures in the U.S. (and not only in Danish-American churches) has not yet been sorted out. It is obvious that they did not all come from the same source, since the quality is very uneven.
A one-page ad in the magazine Norden in 1904 gives a clue as to where some of the statuary may have come from and how it was distributed.
Norden suggests that the congregations and the magazine make a deal to their mutual advantage. Times are bad, the ad says, and no one can afford to buy art. Norden, on the other hand, needs subscribers. If the congrega
tions secure subscribers for Norden, the magazine will reward them with reproductions of well-known art pieces. Thorvaldsen’s “Christ” (two feet
tall) can be had for 75 subscriptions. If the largest reproduction (five feet six inches) is desired, 225 subscriptions will be needed.22
This get-something-in-return policy may not seem so foreign nowadays, but at a time when the advertising business was still in its infancy, some found this mingling of spiritual and pecuniary matters repulsive.23 Whether or not Norden's scheme was successful is not known. There is a strong possibility that the magazine worked as a kind of agent for the Danish- American artist A.H. Andersen, as the ad also warmly advocated his painted altar pieces.
Around the same time, the said A.H. Andersen, who lived in Greenville, Michigan, but worked in Chicago, Illinois, published a promotional pamphlet for distribution among Danish-American congregations. In it he explains that although it is not well looked upon for artists to promote themselves, this is a necessary practice in America. With such great dis
tances you have to let people know you exist. Then follows a description of some of the altar paintings he has done for Danish-American churches with specifications:
...I have no altar paintings in stock. They must be ordered in reason
ably good time, from six weeks to two months before they are needed.
- Congregations that want a painting may choose their own subject if they have a special desire. Otherwise, I refer to the pictures I have painted for other churches... In the case of Thorvaldsen’s “The Angel of Baptism,” I have tried to introduce a baptismal font into our chur
ches, which is loved by everyone. I have modeled it at the art academy here in Chicago under the direction of able sculptors. The first one was sold to Gethsemane Danish Lutheran congregation in Chicago even before its completion. It can be made in plaster or alabaster, is a little less than life-size and weighs 300 pounds. I have procured the mold for Thorvaldsen’s “Christ,” and this figure can be supplied in a size suitable for churches - in plaster or alabaster.24