Charlotte Sannom


Charlotte Amalie Sannom was a Danish painter, writer, and missionary. Her paintings typically involved landscapes in a realism style. She also wrote two books before withdrawing from public life in 1907 due to rheumatoid arthritis.

Biography

Sannom was born in Nykøbing Mors, Denmark. She was the oldest child from her parents' marriage with two younger brothers. She also had an older, half-sister from her father's first marriage. She studied at Vilhelm Kyhn's Painting School for Women.
Sannom began volunteering at Church Association for the Inner Mission in Denmark in 1876. She later became the first female missionary for the Inner Mission in 1890, and began receiving pay in 1896. Due to her increase in work with Inner Mission, as well as writing two novels, her time spent painting was cut short. She also worked with Det Hvide Baand upon its creation in 1888, becoming secretary and vice president. In 1889, Sannom replaced Elisabeth Selmer to become chairman until 1900. During this time, she was also a member of the Danish Women's Society.
In 1887, under the pseudonym of Niels Brock, Sannom wrote a book advocating for abstinence. She later wrote a second book Ingen Oprejsning which was a novel based on her own involvement with the anti-prostitution movement published under her own name. In addition to her own writing, she also worked as translator for English author Dinah Craik's A Woman's Thoughts about Women. She was also involved with the temperance movement, submitting a proposal to the Cabinet of Denmark and Sweden's Riksdag to restrict the sale of alcohol.
In 1907, Sannom was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, which became a major part of her later life.

Personal life

Sannom's niece, Emilie Sannom, was a silent film actress and aerial acrobat.

Exhibitions