Church Altar
Hand carved altar for a Lutheran church by a Dane
The altar was hand carved by Jes Smidt, a Danish immigrant from Southern Jutland. The altar was used in Immanuel Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jes Smidt hand carved the intricate piece at the age of 80.
Jes Smidt was born on May 5, 1855, in Tyrstrup Sogn near Haderslev. He studied architectural design and oil painting in Copenhagen. Smidt immigrated in April of 1882 aboard the S.S. Geiserand. He settled in Clinton, Iowa. In 1906 he moved to Milltown, Wisconsin. Jes Smidt is best known for the altars and pulpits he produced for Danish churches across the Upper Midwest, but he remained active as a painter and sculptor as well.
Church Altar
Milltown, Wisconsin, USA
1936
Oak
Gift of Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum
1994.009.002
Barn model
Bob Hansen modeled this barn after an actual barn that once stood on the property his father purchased in 1948. The 1:12 scale model accounts for a three-foot elevation change from the north side to the south by adjusting wall heights so that the model sits flush on a flat surface. The model was made by the donor out of scrap pieces of wood, except the cupola, hinges, nails, plexiglass, and shingles.
