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Estimate: $ 1,000 - $ 1,500
KAY NIELSEN (1886-1957) Portrait of Anna Larssen. Portrait of Danish actress Anna Larssen, c. 1903-04. Pencil & red charcoal on paper. 311x235 mm; 12 1/4x9 1/4 inches (sheet), adhered to 12x16 1/2-inch paper backing. Initialed and dated "03-04 KN" in lower right image.
Kay Nielsen was a Danish illustrator active in the early 20th century, during a time when Danish actress Anna Larssen (1875-1955) was at the height of her popularity. In addition to her work in the theatre, Larssen is known for her friendship with Lili Elbe: painter, trans woman, and subject of the 2015 film, The Danish Girl. Larssen is credited with giving Elbe the name, Lili, thus developing her awareness of her gender identity. In her autobiography, Elbe tells an account of that story: "About this time Grete [Sparre] painted the portrait of the then popular actress in Copenhagen, Anna Larssen. One day Anna was unable to attend the appointed sitting. On the telephone she asked Grete, who was somewhat vexed: 'Cannot Andreas pose as a model for the lower part of the picture? His legs and feet are as pretty as mine.'" When Larssen unexpectedly arrived at the studio during the sitting, she delighted in the scene and assigned her "a particularly lovely, musical name,"
Source: Lili. Parker, R. J. (n.d.). Man into Woman: An Authentic Record of a Change of Sex (American Edition). http://lilielbe.org/narrative/editions/A1.html
