Jacob Heinrich Moresco (2 May 1828 - 29 October 1906), also known simply as Jacob Heinrich, was one of the first large-scale manufacturers of women's clothing in Denmark. His company, which at the end of the 19th century was the largest of its kind in the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

, was after his death in 1906 continued by his nephew Carl Moresco. His former hone, Villa Adelaide, was located in what is now Ordrup Park. Morescovej is named after him.

Early life and education

Jacob Heinrich Moresco was born 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 ...

, the son of Maximillian Moresco and Adelaide Italiaender. His father had come to Denmark from

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

in about 1820 and married Adelaide approximately one year before Moresco was born. Moresco attended Mariboe's School. His father was a reputable dentist with title of court dentist (''høf-tandlæge'')and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. Moresco was, however, more interested in a commercial career, and was instead apprenticed to textile merchant Unna at the corner of

Købmagergade Købmagergade is a pedestrian shopping street in the Old Town of Copenhagen, Denmark. It connects Amagertorv on Strøget to Nørreport station, although the last section, north of Kultorvet, is part of Frederiksborggade, which continues on the ot ...

and Østergade. He later worked for Carl Løvgren, who ran the leading clothing store of the time. In 1855, Moresco travelled to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

where he learned tailoring before returning to Copenhagen the following year.

Career

On 16 April 1856, Moresco opened a store with women's clothing and fashion accessories at

Amagertorv Amagertorv () is a public square in the district of Indre By in central Copenhagen, Denmark. Today it forms part of the Strøget pedestrian zone, and is often described as the most central square in Copenhagen. Second only to Gammeltorv, it is ...

13. In 1864, he opened a wholesale business at No. 14. In 1882, Moresco's company relocated to Østergade 24. After a few years, J. Moresco had developed into the largest manufacturer of women's clothing in the

with considerable export to Southern Sweden and Norway. When Sweden increased its tariffs on clothing from Denmark in 1890, Moresco responded by establishing a Swedish subsidiary, aAB Moresco, in

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

, followed by a Norwegian subsidiary in Christiania in 1897. The parent company in Copenhagen was in 1900 converted into a limited company (''

aktieselskab (; abbr.: A/S or a/s, ; ) is the Danish name for a stock-based corporation. An ''aktieselskab'' may be either publicly traded or private. Liability The shareholders of an ''aktieselskab'' are not liable for the debts of the company. If an ...

'') under the name A/S J. Moresco and with an initial capital. of DKK 4 million. Moresco was chairman of the board and his nephew Carl Moresco was appointed as managing director. The company employed 3,000 people during the peak seasons at its 50 years' anniversary in 1906.

Personal life and legacy

Moresco purchased a property In

Ordrup Ordrup is a district of Gentofte Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located circa north of the city centre. History Ordrup was originally a small village which only consisted of eight farms and a forge. The area ...

north of Copenhagen in 1871 and named it Adelaide after his mother. He was the second-largest tax-payer in the municipality, only surpassed by Jacob Hegel at Skovgården. He is one of the businessmen depicted on

Peder Severin Krøyer Peder Severin Krøyer (; 23 July 1851 – 21 November 1909), also known as P. S. Krøyer, was a Danish painter. Life Growing up and early training Krøyer was born in Stavanger, Norway, on 23 July 1851 to a single mother, Ellen Cecilie Gjes ...

's monumental 1895 group portrait painting ''

From Copenhagen Stock Exchange ''From Copenhagen Stock Exchange'' () is a monumental 1895 oil on canvas group portrait painting by Peder Severin Krøyer, featuring 50 representatives of the Danish commercial and financial industries gathered in the Great Hall of Børsen (the Ex ...

'' in

Børsen ( Danish for "the bourse" or "the stock exchange"), is a 17th-century commodity bourse and later stock exchange in the centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. The historic building is situated next to Christiansborg Palace, the seat of the Danish Parli ...

. Another group portrait painting,

Laurits Tuxen Laurits Regner Tuxen (9 December 1853 – 21 November 1927) was a Danish painter and sculptor specialising in figure painting. He was also associated with the Skagen Painters. He was the first head of Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler, an art sc ...

's '' Leaving the Table'' depicts a scene from a dinner party in his home. The painting was a gift to him in connection with the 50 years' anniversary of his company on 16 April 1906. It was painted on the basis of a black-and-white photograph taken at a dinner party some time before the anniversary. He died unmarried and without children on 29 October 1906 and is buried in the Western Jewish Cemetery in Copenhagen. He left his estate to his nephew Carl Moresco. In 1943, three years after Carl Moresco's death, Villa Adelaide was acquired by

Gentofte Municipality Gentofte Municipality () is a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in the Capital Region of Denmark (''Region Hovedstaden'') on the east coast of the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark. It covers an area of , and has a total pop ...

and converted into a daycare. It was demolished in 1969 and Ordrup Park is now located at the site. Morescovej in Gentofte is named after him.

Honours

Moresco was created a

Knight of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known as ''White Knights'' t ...

in 1885, a Commander of the 2nd Class in 1904 and finally a Commander of the 1st Class in 1906. He was awarded the Cross of Honour in 1892.

References

External links

Jacob Heinrich Moresco
at geni.com
Carl Moresco
s villa {{DEFAULTSORT:Moresco, Jacob Heinrich 1828 births 1906 deaths 20th-century Danish businesspeople Danish tailors Danish businesspeople in fashion Danish textile industry businesspeople Danish company founders Danish people of Dutch descent 19th-century Danish Jews Commanders First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog Recipients of the Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog Danish companies established in 1856