Rigmor Stampe Bendix (1850–1923) was a Danish

baroness Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight ...

, writer and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

. In 1898, she became editor of ''Kvindernes Blad'' (Women's Paper), a supplement to various daily newspapers, developing it as an organ for the

women's movement The feminist movement, also known as the women's movement, refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for radical and liberal reforms on women's issues created by inequality between men and women. Such issues are women's ...

. She is remembered in Denmark for her biographies of the sculptor

Bertel Thorvaldsen Albert Bertel Thorvaldsen (; sometimes given as Thorwaldsen; 19 November 1770 – 24 March 1844) was a Danes, Danish-Icelanders, Icelandic Sculpture, sculptor and medallist, medalist of international fame, who spent most of his life (1797–183 ...

, ''Baronesse Stampes Erindringer om Thorvaldsen'' (1912) and of her godfather

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...

, ''H.C. Andersen og hans nærmeste Omgang'' (1918).

Early life and education

Born at

Christinelund Christinelund, originally a farm under Nysø Manor, is located a few kilometres east of central Præstø, on the island of Zealand's Jungshoved peninsula, in Vordingborg Municipality in southeastern Denmark. It takes its name from the Salon (gathe ...

near

Præstø Præstø () is a town with a population of 3,880 (1 January 2024) in Vordingborg Municipality in Region Sjælland on the east coast of the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand (''Sjælland''). The islands of Maderne, Storeholm, and Lilleholm are ...

on 7 December 1850, Rigmor Stampe was the daughter of Baron Henrik Stampe (1821–1892) and Jonna Drewson. Brought up there with her two younger sisters,

Astrid Astrid is a given name of Scandinavian origin, a modern form of the name Ástríðr. Derived from the Old Norse Ássfriðr, a compound name composed of the elements (a god) and (beautiful, fair). Variants * * Assan (diminutive) (Swedish) ...

and Kristine, she strove to bring social enlightenment to the local country people. After her father acquired

Nysø Manor Nysø Manor, located near Præstø in the southeast of the Danish island of Sealand, was built in 1673 for Jens Lauridsen, a local functionary. It now houses the Thorvaldsen Collection, a group of works by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen, ...

in 1876, she lived there from 1877 to 1879 and built a library for the use of her daughters and the local population. In 1879, with her marriage to the Jewish composer Victor Emanuel Bendix, she broke away from the family's cultural radicalism inspired by

Georg Brandes Georg Morris Cohen Brandes (4 February 1842 – 19 February 1927) was a Danish critic and scholar who greatly influenced Scandinavian and European literature from the 1870s through the turn of the 20th century. He is seen as the theorist behind ...

. While her mother treated Rigmor's atheism as heresy, her father learnt to accept his Jewish son-in-law. Following her father's death in 1892, Nysø was run by her uncle Holger Stampe-Charisius, a prominent Roman Catholic. Together with her sisters, Rigmor enjoyed a free upbringing, reading intensively and being educated by private tutors. She later went to Copenhagen where she was tutored in ethics by

Harald Høffding Harald Høffding (11 March 1843 – 2 July 1931) was a Danish philosopher and theologian. Life Born Høffding was born in Copenhagen, the son of businessman Niels Frederik Høffding and Martha Høffding (née Jhellerup). The family lived at the ...

and in religious history and mathematics by

Julius Petersen Julius Peter Christian Petersen (16 June 1839 in Sorø, West Zealand – 5 August 1910 in Copenhagen) was a Denmark, Danish mathematician. His contributions to the field of mathematics led to the birth of graph theory. Biography Petersen's in ...

Career

Baronesse Stampes erindringer om Thorvaldsen

After the birth of her three children, Karen (1881), Aage (1882) and Kaj Victor (1883), Bendix devoted her time to the household. Despite difficult times, including the death of Aage in 1899, the marriage held together for a time. As the children grew older, Bendix became set on supporting Copenhagen's Playground Association (Legepladsforening) which she founded in 1891 and headed until 1921. She was particularly successful in establishing playgrounds with sandpits. She also founded the Children's Picture Collection (Børnenes Billedindsamling) and, hoping to provide the city's children with interest in nature, she founded the School Garden Association (Skolehaven). From 1898 to 1904, she edited ''Kvindernes Blad'', a supplement to ''

Nationaltidende ''Nationaltidende'' was a Danish daily newspaper published from 18 March 1876 to 3 September 1961 by De Ferslewske Blade in Copenhagen, Denmark. History and profile ''Nationaltidende'' was established by Jean Christian Ferslew in March 1876. It ...

'', ''

Dagbladet () is one of Norway's largest newspapers and is published in the Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. It has 1,400,000 daily readers on mobile, web and paper. Traditionally it was considered the main liberal newspaper of Norway, with a ...

'' and ''Dagens Nyheder'', developing strong support for the women's movement. In 1904, faced with serious marital difficulties, she gave up the position which was taken by Mathilde Lütken. Following her divorce in 1905, she enjoyed a more relaxed existence, concentrating on writing and cultural activities. In particular, in 1912 she edited and published her grandmother's colourful memoirs on Thorvaldsen and in 1918, she published ''H.C. Andersen og hans nærmeste Omgang''. Rigmor Stampe Bendix died 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 ...

on 9 March 1923. She is buried in Copenhagen's

Assistens Cemetery An Assistens Cemetery () is a cemetery that functions as an expansion of another, older cemetery often in relation to a city church. Already by the end of the 17th century, Danish authorities deemed that the conditions for inner-city cemeteries we ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bendix, Rigmor Stampe 1850 births 1923 deaths People from Præstø 19th-century Danish writers 19th-century Danish male writers Danish women writers Danish philanthropists Danish women philanthropists Danish baronesses 20th-century Danish memoirists Danish women memoirists