Thomas Vilhelm Pedersen (28 January 1820 – 13 March 1859) was a Danish painter and illustrator who is known for his illustrations for

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...

s of

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 ...

. He was the first artist to illustrate Andersen's works. His drawings were converted into wood prints and used in the Danish and German editions.

Biography

Pedersen was born in Karlslunde, south-west of

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 ...

. He initially followed in his father's footsteps and became an officer in the

Royal Danish Navy The Royal Danish Navy (, ) is the Naval warfare, sea-based branch of the Danish Armed Forces force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Denmark, Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Islands and ...

. He was interested in drawing and in 1843 Christian VIII granted him four years' paid leave to enable him to pursuit an artistic career. He studied with Wilhelm Marstrand and enrolled 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 ...

. He first exhibited his works in 1847, but voluntarily returned to the army at the outbreak of the Three Year War. He participated in the Battle of Eckernförde, which he would later depict in two paintings. He then continued his interrupted naval career until his early death in 1859.

Private life

His sons (1858–1942) and Viggo Pedersen (1854–1926) were also painters.

References

External links

*
Illustrations by Vilhelm Pedersen and Lorenz Frølich
at a Hans Christian Andersen website (visithcandersen.dk)
Ask Art: Vilhelm Pedersen

The Stories of Hans Christian Andersen
at Google Books *Weilbach, Ph. (1898)

in Carl Frederik Bricka (ed.) '' Dansk biografisk Lexikon / XII. Bind. Münch – Peirup'' . Copenhagen: Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag, pp. 641–62. * 19th-century Danish illustrators Danish children's book illustrators Illustrators of fairy tales 19th-century Danish painters Danish fantasy artists People from Greve Municipality 1820 births 1859 deaths {{illustrator-stub