Amanda Jensine Nielsen (16 February 1866 – 2 December 1953) was a Danish cabaret singer who became famous as

Holger Drachmann Holger Henrik Herholdt Drachmann (9 October 1846 – 14 January 1908) was a Danish poet, dramatist and painter. He was a member of the Skagen Painters, Skagen artistic colony and became a figure of the Scandinavian Modern Breakthrough Movem ...

's muse Edith, inspiring some of his most romantic works.

Biography

Born on 16 February 1866 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 ...

's Vesterbro, Nielsen was brought up by her working-class parents Jöns Nilsson (1824–1909) and Jensine Jensdatter (1822–96). After her father was injured in an accident, she worked as a

seamstress A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician. Notable d ...

but, when 18, doubled her earnings by singing in

Frederiksberg Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the region of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of less tha ...

's Alleenberg Theatre, where she quickly gained popularity. After a tour in Finland, Nielsen returned to Copenhagen where she became a star attraction at the

Café Chantant A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, Caffè americano, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually ...

. It was here that she met the poet

in 1887. Despite the fact that he was married and twice her age, he adopted her as his muse, referring to her as Edith and paying tribute to her in his novel ''Forskrevet'' (1890). Shortly afterwards she began to sing at the Kisten in Tivoli but as rumours grew about her relationship, she left the country with Drachmann, settling in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, Germany, where she had her own apartment and sang in

St. Pauli St. Pauli (Sankt Pauli; ) is a quarter of the city of Hamburg belonging to the centrally located Hamburg-Mitte borough. Situated on the right bank of the Elbe river, the nearby Landungsbrücken is a northern part of the port of Hamburg. St. Pau ...

. She spent a number of happy years with Drachmann until 1897 when he had an affair with another young woman. In 1898, she married the businessman Bernhard Gerlach, raising their children in Hamburg after he died. In 1947, she sent the love letters she had received from Drachmann to the

Royal Danish Library Royal Danish Library () is a merger of the two previous national libraries in Denmark: the State and University Library in Aarhus and the Royal Library in Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, wit ...

. She died in Hamburg on 2 December 1953.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nielsen, Amanda 19th-century Danish women singers Cabaret singers 1866 births 1953 deaths Singers from Copenhagen