Karl Christian Niel­sen│Reykjavík Citizens – Photos from a Working Man

Reykjavík Museum of Photography

Karl Christian Nielsen was born 10th of june 1895 on Hverfisgata in Reykjavíka. He was a son of a common woman Guðrún Finnbogadóttir (1874-1923) from Traðarkot and her fiancée, Karl Christian Nielsen, who died in the Atlantic sea in the schooner Benedikte just six months before Karl junior was born. Not many things are known about Karl’s childhood other than he was raised in poverty with his mother, stepdad, Kristján Sæmundsson (1871-1955) and a large group of siblings, in a harsh environment east side of Reykjavík. 

When Karl was around twenty years old he studied photography in Carls Ólafsson’s photo studio on Laugavegur 46. He worked there and studied photography for about two years. Many young photographers worked with him like Jón Kaldal who later on became one of the biggest portrait photographers in Iceland. 


In 1916 Karl stopped working at the studio. Undoubtedly he thought about working as a photographer in the future but the social situation prevented him to make those dream come true. Though it is likely that he got paid for some of his photographs he made. Many photographs that he made are found in many photo and postcard collections that are preserved in Reykjavík Museum of Photography and other museums. What makes Karl’s photos so unique is the angle, social background of the photographer. He was in working class, poor family- and working class man, who lived in tight arrangements all his life. 

Despite of hard life, he and his family created very important collection and the opportunity to study and see everyday life of citizens who lived in Reykjavik early 20th century through the glass of its own candidate. Especially the period 1916-1930 when very few family members of the working class where photographed.



Karl photographed his fellow citizens his mates, man to man, and does not only show the civil side of his fellow man but also other sides. There are people who build the city, people who dug up pitches for the development of the city, cleaned the street, and dug for the sewage- and water network or the electricity lines. In the photos there is a colourful social life in its many forms; the housewife who is sewing on a sewing machine in her home, a woman putting up the clean laundry in the back yard on Njálsgata, a mother putting her baby to sleep in front of her home in Pólarnir. There is also the horse Gráni who stands tall on Barónsstígur with a small family following. The man who is standing on a box trying to catch the attention of the people walking by on Lækjartorg square or the king of Denmark who is driving in a car on Hverfisgata with a escort.

In the exhibition there are about 60 photos from Karl’s collection. There is also some collection of originals copies. Most of the photographer made himself in his self-made photo studio and there are many very different kinds of photos in different sizes. 




Karl Christian Nielsen│Reykjavík Citizens – Photos from a Working Man

In the exhibition "Reykjavík citizens – Photos from a Working Man" there are many very interesting sights from everyday life of people who lived in Reykjavík in 1916-1950 seen through the eye of a common man Karl Christian Nielsen.

Karl Chris­tian Niel­sen│Reykjavík Cit­izens – Pho­tos from a Work­ing Man

In the exhibition "Reykjavík citizens – Photos from a Working Man" there are many very interesting sights from everyday life of people who lived in Reykjavík in 1916-1950 seen through the eye of a common man Karl Christian Nielsen.

Karl Christian Nielsen│Reykjavík Citizens – Photos from a Working Man