Mads Alstrup
Mads Alstrup (1808–1876) was the first Danish portrait photographer with his own studio. From the opening of his studio in 1842, until he left the country in 1858, he produced an estimated 33,000 daguerreotypes in the Copenhagen area, before his business suffered beginning in 1857. He moved to Sweden in 1858 and continued to take portraits there until he died in 1876.
Also recorded as Mads Ahlstrup
Mads Alstrup
FOTOGRAF Alstrup, Mads (1809 - 1876) Mads Alstrup · Digitaltmuseum · CC0
- Name
- Mads Alstrup
- Born
- 1808
- Birthplace
- Viborg, Denmark
- Died
- 1876
- Place of death
- Falun, Sweden
- Nationality
- Kingdom of Denmark
- Occupation
- photographer · daguerreotypist
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Documentary summary
Mads Alstrup (1808–1876) was the first Danish portrait photographer with his own studio. From the opening of his studio in 1842, until he left the country in 1858, he produced an estimated 33,000 daguerreotypes in the Copenhagen area, before his business suffered beginning in 1857. He moved to Sweden in 1858 and continued to take portraits there until he died in 1876.
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Mads Alstrup (1808–1876) was a Danish daguerreotypist and photographer. Born in Viborg, the daguerreotypist died in Falun. Works by Mads Alstrup are held at National Museum of Photography.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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wikidata · Q3494914 · wikipedia · Mads Alstrup
In this article
Biography
Biography
He is considered one of the pioneers of photography in Denmark.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Mads Alstrup • Born — 1808 • Birthplace — Viborg, Denmark • Died — 1876 • Place of death — Falun, Sweden • Illustration — Mads Alstrup: Granny Clausen. Daguerreotype from 1845
Daguerreotype portraits in Denmark
Daguerreotype portraits in Denmark
Born in Viborg, Denmark and trained as a goldsmith, Alstrup initially had a business in Randers in Jutland. In the summer of 1842, he moved to Copenhagen and set up a daguerreotype studio behind the Hercules Pavilion in the Rosenborg Castle Gardens. In this popular area of the city, he found many clients interested in having their portraits taken. He advertised an exposure time of 1 minute. From 1843 to 1848, he travelled around Denmark, spending a few days or weeks in different towns where he set up temporary studios. In 1849, he finally settled in Copenhagen, opening a studio at a central location on Østergade near Kongens Nytorv. Constantly investing in new equipment, the quality of his work improved over time. It is estimated he produced 33,000 daguerreotypes in the 16 years he worked in Denmark.
Swedish period
Swedish period
After leaving Denmark in 1857, Alstrup moved to Sweden where he was nomadic, similar to his early Danish career. In 1859, he was in Hälsingborg and Kristianstad and in 1860, Gothenburg where he stayed for a few years. In 1863, he practiced in Malmö with G.S. Ekeund. He died in Falun, Sweden, in 1876.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1808
Mads Alstrup was born in 1808 at Viborg.
1876
Mads Alstrup died on 1 January 1876.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Viborg.
Birth place
Falun.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Mads Alstrup”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q3494914: Mads Alstrup
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Meyer, Mette Kia Krabbe. Danmarks første foto. 2023.
- 2.Dansk Fotografihistorie, ed. Mette Sandbye. Gyldendal, Copenhagen. 2004, p. 29.
- 3.Berner, Marie-Louise. Bertel Thorvaldsen: A Daguerreotype Portrait from 1840.
- 4.Berner, Marie-Louise. Mads Alstrups virsomhed som daguerreotypist 1842–1858.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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