Heinrich Hirschsprung (7 February 1836 – 8 November 1908) was a Danish tobacco manufacturer, arts patron and art collector most known for founding the

Hirschsprung Collection The Hirschsprung Collection ( Danish: Den Hirschsprungske Samling) is an art museum located on Stockholmsgade in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located in a parkland setting in Østre Anlæg, near the Danish National Gallery, and houses a large coll ...

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 ...

, a museum dedicated to Danish art from the 19th and early 20th century.

Family and business life

Heinrich Hirschsprung was born into a family of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

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 ...

descent in

. His father, Abraham Marcus Hirschsprun (1793–1871), had been born in Friedberg near

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

in 1783 but moved to Denmark where he opened a small tobacco business in Copenhagen's

Hotel D'Angleterre The Hôtel d'Angleterre or Angleterre is one of the first deluxe hotels in the world. Situated in the heart of Copenhagen, Denmark, it is located on Kongens Nytorv opposite Charlottenborg, the Royal Theatre and Nyhavn. While its history dates ...

in 1826. Two years later, in 1827, he married Petrea Hirschsprung née Hertz (1804–1891), and they had six children.

Hirschsprung's disease Hirschsprung's disease (HD or HSCR) is a birth defect in which nerves are missing from parts of the intestine. The most prominent symptom is constipation. Other symptoms may include vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and slow growth. Most child ...

is named after their pediatrician son Harald Hirschsprung (1830–1916) who first described it. Heinrich Hirschsprung and his brother Bernhard Hirschsprung (1834–1909) took over A.M. Hirschsprung & Sønner from their father in 1858. Under their leadership the business, now specializing in cigar making, grew rapidly. In 1866, they bought a piece of unused land at

Gammelholm Gammelholm () is a predominantly residential neighbourhood in the city centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is bounded by the Nyhavn canal, Kongens Nytorv, Holmens Kanal, Niels Juels Gade and the waterfront along Havnegade. For centuries, the area ...

, an area which had been a naval site until 1859. There they built a modern factory for manufacturing cigars. It was designed by a young architect Ove Petersen (1830–1892) in a Historicist style which was inspired by Italian Renaissance architecture. Heinrich Hirschsprung married Pauline Elisabeth Jacobson (1845–1912) on 26 June 1864; she was the daughter of wholesaler Daniel Simon (1791–1858) and Friederiche Jacobson née Gerhardt (1811–1855). Heinrich and Pauline had five children: Ellen, Ivar, Åge, Robert, and Oskar. They had their first apartment on Højbro Plads in Copenhagen and subsequently a house on

Bredgade Bredgade (literal translation, lit. "Broad Street") is one of the most prominent streets in Copenhagen, Denmark. Running in a straight line from Kongens Nytorv for just under one kilometre to the intersection of Esplanaden, Copenhagen, Esplanaden ...

. They also had country homes in the north of

Sjælland Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020, comprising ...

as well as in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Art collection and artist friends

Hirschsprung began his art collection in 1866, with the purchase of a painting by

Julius Exner Johan Julius Exner, (30 November 1825 – 15 November 1910), Denmark, Danish Genre works, genre painter, was born in Copenhagen to Johann Gottlieb Exner, a Czechs, Czech musician from Bohemia, who came to Denmark during the Napoleonic period, a ...

(1825–1910). His collection expanded over the years with additional purchases of paintings by contemporary Danish artists. It was a modern collection of examples from the

Skagen Painters The Skagen Painters () were a group of Scandinavian artists who gathered in the village of Skagen, the northernmost part of Denmark, from the late 1870s until the turn of the century. Skagen was a summer destination whose scenic nature, local mi ...

, the Funen Artists, (''Fynboerne'') and

Symbolists Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

. Hirschsprung was a great supporter, both personally and financially, of P.S. Krøyer who met him through Frants Henningsen, (1850–1908), a mutual friend at the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts () has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Danish Academy of Portraiture, Sculpture, and Architecture in Cope ...

(''Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi''). Hirschsprung admired Krøyer's artistic talent and skills, and he purchased his first paintings from him in 1874 — four watercolors from

Hornbæk Hornbæk () is a seaside resort town on the north coast of the Danish island of Sjælland, facing the Øresund which separates Denmark from Sweden. It is part of Helsingør Municipality and is located 12 km northwest of Helsingør. It is mai ...

. They continued a lifelong friendship. Hirschsprung helped finance Krøyer's travels and foreign residence during the years 1877–1881, giving him the financial support needed to develop his artistic skills. Krøyer was a friend of the entire family. He continued a personal correspondence with Pauline and made a number of family portraits of Heinrich, Pauline and their children. In addition to P.S. Krøyer, their homes were gathering places for other contemporary artists as authors such as

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(1846–1908),

Herman Bang Herman Joachim Bang (20 April 1857 – 29 January 1912) was a Danish journalist and author, one of the men of the Modern Breakthrough. Biography Early life and education Bang was born in Asserballe, on the small Danish island of Als, the son o ...

(1857–1912) and

Henrik Pontoppidan Henrik Pontoppidan (; 24 July 1857 – 21 August 1943) was a Danish realist writer who shared with Karl Gjellerup the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1917 for "his authentic descriptions of present-day life in Denmark." Pontoppidan's novels and sh ...

(1857–1943) and painters

Wilhelm Marstrand Nicolai Wilhelm Marstrand (24 December 1810 – 25 March 1873), painter and illustrator, was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, to Nicolai Jacob Marstrand, instrument maker and inventor, and Petra Othilia Smith. Marstrand is one of the most renowned a ...

(1810–1873),

Frederik Vermehren Johan Frederik (Frits) Nikolai Vermehren, also known as Frederik Vermehren (12 May 1823 – 10 January 1910), a genre and portrait painter in the realist style. His artistic career took place during the period of Danish art known as the Golden ...

(1823–1910),

Otto Bache Otto Bache (21 August 1839 – 28 June 1927) was a Danish Realist painter. Many of his works depict key events in Danish history. Biography At age eleven he received a dispensation and was admitted into the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, ...

(1839–1927),

Kristian Zahrtmann Peder Henrik Kristian Zahrtmann, known as Kristian Zahrtmann, (31 March 1843 – 22 June 1917) was a Danish painter. He was a part of the Danish artistic generation in the late 19th century, along with Peder Severin Krøyer and Theodor Philipsen, ...

(1843–1917) as well as Frants Henningsen.

The Hirschsprung Collection

In 1902, Hirschsprung announced plans to donate his collection of art to the state. Heinrich Hirschsprung died during 1908 and was buried at

Mosaisk Vestre Begravelsesplads Mosaisk Vestre Begravelsesplads is a Jewish cemetery in Copenhagen. History The Jewish Western Cemetery was established in 1886. The chapel was designed by Frederik L. Levy. The Inspector's House was aldso designed by Levy. Monuments and memori ...

in Copenhagen. The museum was established in 1911 by his widow Pauline Hirschsprung.

The Hirschsprung Collection The Hirschsprung Collection ( Danish: Den Hirschsprungske Samling) is an art museum located on Stockholmsgade in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located in a parkland setting in Østre Anlæg, near the Danish National Gallery, and houses a large coll ...

(''Den Hirschsprungske Samling'') opened with 45 paintings, 13 pastels, 205 drawings, 14 watercolors, 12 busts, 55 sketchbooks as well as P.S. Krøyer's letters and documents. The collection has grown since then, and the museum continues to this day in a beautiful park setting near central Copenhagen, around the corner from the National Gallery ('' Statens Museum for Kunst'').

References

External links

Den Hirschsprungske Samling website

The story of P.S. Krøyer and Heinrich Hirschsprung (in Danish), with Hirschsprung family portraits by Krøyer.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirschsprung, Heinrich Danish industrialists 19th-century Danish businesspeople Danish philanthropists Danish art collectors Businesspeople from Copenhagen Danish Jews Danish people of German-Jewish descent 1836 births 1908 deaths Tobacconists