My great-grandmother Asta (pronounced "ous-ta") was born in Iceland. She grew and she grew ...
She traveled to Europe to earn her certificate as a house painter. She and Karen Hansen used the following as their business card:
It must have been effective because she was seen working:
Grandma does report that the women did encounter some trouble - from other women - who didn't like that these two were working and taking jobs away from the men. A pioneer of women's lib!
(and let me point out to those that know my dad ... never mind ... you see it too, don't you??)
All photos are pictures from a book published about Asta's life:
The tapestry featured on the cover was created by another family member (I think it as Asta's sister but I'm not positive) and the figures each represent one of the siblings ... Asta is third from the left, Mangus third from the right.)
Um, are you talking about the fact that Uncle Magnus looks EXACTLY like your dad?
ReplyDeleteThis is such an awesome post!! I love it - and I always forget how much Amma looks like her mom, and how much baby Amma looks like baby MY mom! I love DNA. :)
Lisa, there's is a photo in the book that looks just like YOU! It's funny - Talen even laughed! : )
ReplyDeleteNo way, really?? A picture of whom?
ReplyDeleteAnd: is that Aunt Bibi (with Uncle Magnus)?
And and: does Amma look like Cambelle a bit to you here?
Even though my babies look VERY Provost to me, I'm loving that I may have had a little hand in their looks too!
Oh, and and and (!): I'm totally jacking this for my FB today.
ReplyDeleteLove love LOVE this. I knew some of this, but this is very cool. :)
That must be Bibi. And yes, doesn't Magnus look just like my dad?? Those must be some strong Icelandic genes!
ReplyDeleteI think it does look like Cambelle - but even more like your mom! But most of the pictures I see of Cambelle I think look like you so it all comes around! Matter of fact, that might have been the picture we were saying looks like you but I think there's an even better one - I will look when we go check on Grandma today.
Haven't seen a picture of your dad for years but this family's features seem to be dominent genes that pass down numerous generations. My daughter Karolina looks exactly like Asta's two sisters, Gudrun in Canada and Gudbjorg who lived in Iceland and was a nurse. This family, i.e. Asta's siblings, often refered to as the Narfakot family, was amazing considering how they were raised in difficult an sometimes impoverished circumstances. All nine of them achieve a higher education, mostly in vocational schools but considering that they were young people in the first and second decades of the 20th century, they were high achievers. All of them went abroad for various reasons in the years from 1910-1915. What I want to say this time is about the family tapestry. Magnus, the one who looks like Kevin, was given this tapestry by his wife Barbara who was an English artist on the occasion of his 80th birthday. She was an artist with diverse talents, but probably best know for her watercolors and portraits of babies. She was working with Icelandic lopi wool and flossing which is the method used in this tapestry. Her thoughts were to make a family tree, i.e. where the hands of each sibling are crossed together a pocket forms which was intended for the decendants of each sibling. The siblings are in order of birth from the oldest, my grandmother, Steinunn Johanna to the youngest Ingibjorg Jonheidur, each one's initials are written on their representative figures. More later, have to get to work at the Icel. Handicrafts Assn. and yes, knitting is not only allowed at meetings, the association has sponsered a knitting coffehouse once a month for the last three years. There are always at least 100-150 participants and some even bring their own folding chairs so they are not turned away because the place is packed. More later!!
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