Three Young Girls. The Artist's Sisters: Alvilde, Ida and Henriette

Constantin Hansen grew up with his sisters at Charlottenborg where their father, portrait painter Hans Hansen, had a tenancy. Constantin’s sister, Alvilde, also demonstrated artistic talent. In his 1827 painting Alvilde, 18, is drawing flowers. At that time women could not enter the art academy, but had to resort to private tuition – possibly under academy professors. Alvilde appears to have focused on flower painting – one of the few types of pictures women were allowed to paint. The year after Constantin painted his sisters, their father died, and the family had to move. This shattered Alvilde’s dreams of a career in art. She became a teacher instead, taking up positions at manor houses. She later returned to Copenhagen to live with Constantin and his family. Like many other daughters of artists she never married.