Charlotte Juliane Sofie Eilersgaard née Jensen (25 March 1858–9 May 1922) was a Danish writer and editor who wrote short stories, plays and novels. From the beginning of the 20th century, she became increasingly involved in the women's movement, especially the cause for women's voting rights.

Biography

Born on 25 March 1858 in

Hjørring Hjørring () is a town on the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Hjørring Municipality in the North Jutland Region. The population is 25,908 (acco ...

, Charlotte Juliane Sofie Hansen was the daughter of the cattle dealer Lars Møller Jensen (1829–1905) and Anna Katrine Mettelmann (1831–1920). As a child, she was already a keen poet, filling her drawers with her own works. After attending a girls' school in Hjørring and learning languages at home, when she was 20 she married the editor Jacob Peter Martinus Julius Eilersgaard (1855–1905). As an author, she wrote mainly epic novels and plays, many of which were performed in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

or in Denmark's larger cities. One of the most successful was ''Jægermesterinden'' which was first published as a novel in 1907 but was then dramatised for

Folketeatret Folketeateret is a theatre in Oslo, Norway. The building has been used as a movie theatre and as an opera house. The theatre has 1,400 seats. History The theatre itself operated from 1952 to 1959, but the institution has a much longer history. ...

. It tells the story of a young woman who persuades her parents, a hunter and a housekeeper, to resolve their family problems by getting married. Her work as an editor began in 1898 when the couple moved to

Middelfart Middelfart is a town in central Denmark, with a population of 16,749 . The town is the municipal seat of Middelfart Municipality on the island of Funen (). Etymology The name Middelfart, first recorded as "Mæthælfar" in Valdemar's Census Book ...

where she edited the ''Aarup Avis''. She joined the

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

, heading the local women's branch. In 1903, she became president of the Middelfart branch of the newly established

Danish Women's Society The Danish Women's Society or DWS () is Denmark's oldest women's rights organization. It was founded in 1871 by activist Matilde Bajer and her husband Fredrik Bajer; Fredrik was a Member of Parliament and the 1908 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The as ...

(''Dansk Kvindesamfund'') where she promoted voting rights as the organization's main concern. She was therefore somewhat concerned when the National Association for Women's Suffrage (''Landsforbundet for Kvinders Valgret'') established a local chapter there. In 1904, she attended the

International Council of Women The International Council of Women (ICW) is a women's organization working across national boundaries for the common cause of advocating women's rights, human rights for women. In March and April 1888, women leaders came together in Washington D.C ...

's conference in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

where she presented a paper on ''Die Frauenbewegung in Skandinavien''. When Denmark granted women the vote in 1915, unlike Gyrithe Lemche, she supported the integration of women into the existing political parties rather than creating new ones specially for women. For the rest of her life, Charlotte Eilersgaard continued to publish a play or a novel each year, some of which were translated into other languages. She died on 9 May 1922 in

Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; ), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a coastal city in northeastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 63,953 on 1 January 2025, making it the 23rd most populated municipality in Denmark. Helsin ...

's old people's home Montebello. She is buried in Middelfart.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eilersgaard, Charlotte 1858 births 1922 deaths Danish novelists Danish women novelists Danish dramatists and playwrights Danish women dramatists and playwrights Danish editors Danish women editors 19th-century Danish women writers 20th-century Danish women writers Danish feminists Danish suffragists Danish women's rights activists People from Hjørring