2023 Annual Museum Christmas Card

The Museum of Danish America—40 years of celebrating Danish roots and American dreams!

The Copenhagen lamps (now installed along the front entryway of the museum) were created in 1857 as gas lamps and lit the streets of Copenhagen, Denmark. In 1959, the city of Copenhagen donated these three lamps to Dana College in Blair, Nebraska to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the school. They remained gas-powered until 1993 when they were electrified. Following the closure of Dana College in June of 2010, the museum negotiated the purchase of these lamps and completed the transaction on November 8, 2011.  

Selected by Dr. John Mark Nielsen, Executive Director Emeritus, as his choice to highlight 40 years of collecting, he commented, "Hans Christian Andersen, who lived in Copenhagen until his death in 1875, was famous for taking long walks around the city.  There is no way of verifying this, but I like to think that on one of his many walks, he passed under the gas lamps that now light the way to the Museum of Danish America."

Capturing the museum in all its glory at Christmas, Angela Stanford, former Registrar and Curator of Collections at the Museum of Danish America 2004-2021, braved the chill of a frosty winter morning for this photo.  

Details
Individual card and envelope. Also available as a set
Danish greeting inside card: Glædelig Jul og Godt Nytår (Merry Christmas and Happy New Year)
Dimensions: 5 x 7.25 inches