Dagmar Freuchen-Gale ( Cohn; 30 June 1907 – 9 March 1991) was a Danish illustrator, writer and editor.

Early life and education

Freuchen-Gale was born Dagmar Cohn in

Kongens Lyngby Kongens Lyngby (, Danish for "the King's Heather Town"; short form Lyngby) is the seat and commercial centre of Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. Lyngby Hovedgade is a busy shopping street and the site ...

, Denmark, to Hans Cohn and Betty Johanne Neustadt. Her parents were

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

and were members of . Freuchen-Gale left Lyngby in 1938 to go to New York.

Career

Freuchen-Gale was an artist and well known as a fashion illustrator, working for magazines such as ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

'' and ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...

''. In April 1947, Freuchen-Gale illustrated the cover of Vogue which presented new couture house

Christian Dior Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer and founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Dior, Christian Dior SE. His fashion house is known all around the world, having gained promi ...

. At the end of the 1940s Freuchen-Gale began to teach fashion illustration at the

Art Students League The Art Students League of New York is an art school in the American Fine Arts Society in Manhattan, New York City. The Arts Students League is known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may study f ...

, and continuing there for 20 years. She edited several books written by her second husband Peter Freuchen, an explorer and author. In 1968, she wrote ''Cookbook of the Seven Seas'', title inspired by Freuchen's book, ''Book of the Seven Seas''.

Personal life

Freuchen-Gale married three times. Her first husband, a Danish man named Muller, was killed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

while serving with the

American army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

. She met her second husband, Peter Freuchen, on 24 December 1944 in New York at the home of some Danish friends. They married in 1945. Freuchen was a well known Danish author and

Arctic explorer Arctic exploration is the physical exploration of the Arctic region of the Earth. It refers to the historical period during which mankind has explored the region north of the Arctic Circle. Historical records suggest that humankind have explored ...

. Beginning in 1945, they lived in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and maintained a second home in

Noank, Connecticut Noank ( ) is a village in the town of Groton, Connecticut. This dense community of historic homes and local businesses sits on a small, steep peninsula at the mouth of the Mystic River (Connecticut), Mystic River and has a long tradition of fishi ...

on Chesbro Street, overlooking

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...

. They appearedPhoto by Irving Penn
together in a well known photo by

Irving Penn Irving Penn (June 16, 1917October 7, 2009) was an American photographer known for his fashion photography, portraits, and still lifes. Penn's career included work at ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'' magazine, and independent advertising work for clie ...

showing Freuchen with a beard in a massive fur coat. Freuchen often travelled for his work during their marriage but is reported to have written home every day and sent a copy of each letter to the

Danish Royal Library The Royal Library () in Copenhagen is the national library of Denmark and the academic library of the University of Copenhagen. It is among the largest libraries in the world and the largest in the Nordic countries. In 2017, it merged with the ...

, to be opened 50 years after his death, in 2007. Freuchen-Gale joined her husband only once in his travels, on an expedition to

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

, during which she served native meals including pickled

whale blubber Blubber is a thick layer of Blood vessel, vascularized adipose tissue under the skin of all cetaceans, pinnipeds, penguins, and sirenians. It was present in many marine reptiles, such as Ichthyosauria, ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs. Description ...

and seaweed. During their marriage, she became an expert on various cuisines from around the world. After her husband's death, Freuchen-Gale maintained the Noank home until 1963. Freuchen-Gale's third marriage was to Henry Gale (d. 1969), an attorney from New York, in 1967. She returned to live in Denmark in the early 1970s.

Works

*''Peter Freuchen's Adventures in the Arctic'', Julian Messner, Inc., New York, Copyright 1960. - (Editor) *''Peter Freuchen's Book of the Eskimos'', Peter Freuchen Estate. Cleveland Ohio, Copyright 1961. - (Editor) * ''Erindringer'', 1963 - (Editor) *''Cookbook of the Seven Seas'', 1968 - (Author)

References

External links

1955 Dior dress for Vogue
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freuchen-Gale, Dagmar 1907 births 1991 deaths People from Kongens Lyngby 20th-century Danish illustrators Danish women illustrators 20th-century Danish women writers Danish editors Danish women editors Fashion illustrators Jewish Danish artists Jewish Danish writers