2018.034.011 [Print, Photographic]

This is a photograph of Andreas Nielsen Hansen, a Danish immigrant and muralist. Born in Ribe County of Denmark, he studied at the Royal Academy of Arts in Copenhagen where he exhibited unique skills as a muralist and altar painter. He served in the Danish Army during a war with Germany, and because of its devastating economic hardships on the Danish people it became impossible for him to find work in Denmark. In 1873 Andreas and his young family immigrated to America where he had no trouble finding work in New York, painting murals for the Vanderbilt mansion and at the Philadelphia Exposition. In 1876 Hansen and his family relocated to Des Moines, Iowa, where he was commissioned to decorate the ceilings and walls of the new Iowa State Capitol Building. The blue sky and white clouds high up in the capitol dome, as well as the elaborate ceiling in the Secretary of State's office and other murals in the building are the work of his hand. Following the death of his wife in 1882, Hansen moved to the Elk Horn, Iowa, area to live with his daughter. He remained busy painting murals on the walls of local homes, specializing in ceilings with angels, stars, and blue skies. In 1891 Hansen created and painted two altar pieces, one for the Oak Hill Lutheran Church, and the other for the Elk Horn Lutheran Church. Content can be used with the following standards: 3rd grade SS 3.27 Immigration and Migration in a lesson on Danish immigrants in Iowa and their contributions to the state. For any use other than instructional resources, please check with the organization that owns this item regarding copyright restrictions.