Torbjørg Utne (1812 – 22 May 1903) was a Norwegian hotelier.

Personal life

Torbjørg Johannesdatter Utne was born in

Utne Utne is a village in Ullensvang municipality in the Hardanger region of Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the northern end of the Folgefonn Peninsula, at the confluence of the Sørfjorden and Hardangerfjorden. The village is ...

in 1812, a daughter of farmer Johannes Lutro and Torbjørg Helland. She married merchant and hotelier Johan Winess Utne in 1832.

Career

Serving as hostess at the in Utne,

Hardanger Hardanger is a traditional district in the western part of Norway, dominated by the Hardangerfjord and its inner branches of the Sørfjorden and the Eid Fjord. It consists of the municipalities of Ullensvang, Eidfjord, Ulvik and Kvam, and is ...

for 70 years, Torbjørg Utne got legendary status, nicknamed ''Mor Utne''. The hotel became a gathering point for scientists from Norway and other countries, and eventually for tourists. Her portrait, painted by

Eilif Peterssen Hjalmar Eilif Emanuel Peterssen (4 September 1852 – 29 December 1928) was a Norwegian painter. He is most commonly associated with his landscapes and portraits. He gained early recognition for the history painting ''Christian II signing t ...

in 1888, is located at the

National Museum of Norway The National Museum (, officially the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design) is a museum in Oslo, Norway which holds the Norwegian state's public collection of art, architecture, and design objects. The collection totals over 400,000 w ...

. Torbjørg Utne died in Utne on 22 June 1909.

References

1812 births 1903 deaths People from Ullensvang Norwegian hoteliers {{norway-bio-stub